Krits, P., Department of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel, Department of Vegetable Research, Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Center, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Fogelman, E., Department of Vegetable Research, Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Center, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Ginzberg, I., Department of Vegetable Research, Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Center, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel

The potato steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGA) are toxic secondary metabolites, and their total content in tubers should not exceed 20 mg/100 g fresh weight. The two major SGA in cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum) are α-chaconine and α-solanine. SGA biosynthetic genes and the genetic factors that control their expression have not yet been determined. In the present study, potato genotypes exhibiting different levels of SGA content showed an association between high SGA levels in their leaves and tubers and high expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase 1 (hmg1) and squalene synthase 1 (pss1), genes of the mevalonic/isoprenoid pathway. Transcripts of other key enzymes of branches of the isoprenoid pathway, vetispiradiene/sesquiterpene synthase (pvs1) and sterol C24-methyltransferase type1 (smt1), were undetectable or exhibited stable expression regardless of SGA content, respectively, suggesting facilitated precursor flow to the SGA biosynthetic branch. The transcript ratio of solanidine glucosyltransferase (sgt2) to solanidine galactosyltransferase (sgt1) was correlated to the documented chaconine-to-solanine ratio in the tested genotypes. Significantly higher expression of hmg1, pss1, smt1, sgt1 and sgt2 was monitored in the tuber phelloderm than in the parenchyma of the tuber's flesh, targeting the former as the main SGA-producing tissue in the tuber, in agreement with the known high SGA content in the layers directly under the tuber skin. © 2007 Springer-Verlag.