Relative importance of chlorophyll metabolic genes for light-induced greening of potato tubers

Potato tuber greening occurs due to the chlorophyll accumulation upon exposure to light, however, fundamental information on tuber chlorophyll metabolism is lacking. We measured the effect of varying light exposure (0, 48, 96, and 168 h) on chlorophyll concentration and gene expression of enzymes in the chlorophyll metabolic pathway in the potato varieties that differ in greening propensity. Greening was associated with the upregulation of genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis, particularly glutamyl-tRNA reductase 1, magnesium-chelatase subunit H, and magnesium-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester cyclase, and downregulation of genes involved in chlorophyll cycling and degradation, including chlorophyllide <i>a</i> oxygenase, and pheophorbide <i>a</i> oxygenase. Our findings suggest that relative resistance to tuber greening propensity may be due to a weaker upregulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis genes and weaker downregulation of chlorophyll degradation genes that occurs in susceptible varieties. The association of these biosynthesis and degradation genes with greening susceptibility may provide possible breeding targets for the future development of more greening-resistant varieties.