Characterization of a potato activation-tagged mutant, nikku, and its partial revertant
Abstract
A potato mutant with a strong stress-response phenotype, and a partial mutant revertant, were characterized. Gene expression patterns and DNA cytosine methylation varied between these and wild-type, indicating a role for DNA cytosine methylation changes in the gene expression and visible phenotypes. Morphological and molecular studies were conducted to compare potato cv. Bintje, a Bintje activation-tagged mutant (nikku), and nikku revertant phenotype plants. Morphological studies revealed that nikku plants exhibited an extremely dwarf phenotype, had small hyponastic leaves, were rootless, and infrequently produced small tubers compared to wild-type Bintje. The overall phenotype was suggestive of a constitutive stress response, which was further supported by the greater expression level of several stress-responsive genes in nikku. Unlike the nikku mutant, the revertant exhibited near normal shoot elongation, larger leaves and consistent rooting. The reversion appeared partial, and was not the result of a loss of 35S enhancer copies from the original nikku mutant. Southern blot analyses indicated the presence of a single T-DNA insertion on chromosome 12 in the mutant. Gene expression studies comparing Bintje, nikku and revertant ...Continue Reading
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