Creating Low Toxin Potato

A group of researchers from RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science led by Kazuki Saito has discovered a way in producing safer potatoes. This discovery is necessary since potatoes secrete solanine and chacocine, toxins also known as steroidal glycoalkoids (SGA), which provide defense for growing sprouts against potential pest. Presence of these toxins at high level is poisonous and dangerous for human health. By identifying the process involved in SGA production, particularly the genes involved in cholesterol synthesis, the group was able to find the main gene responsible for this mechanism.

The genes sterol side chain reductase 1 and 2 (SSR1 and SSR2) were revealed to be the potential genes involved in the process. Functional analysis conducted reveals that SSR2 is the main gene responsible in the conversion of precursor compounds to cholesterol which led to SGA production. RNA silencing to excise SSR2 in the potato genome was done and revealed that excision of this gene has reduced SGA levels without affecting plant growth. This finding has led the group to make a customization of an enzyme called transcription activator like effector nucleases (TALENS) that can selectively excise the SSR2 gene from the potato genome and will be necessary in engineering safer potatoes.

Read more at: http://www.riken.jp/en/research/rikenresearch/highlights/7902/.