Both developmental and metabolic signals activate the promoter of a class I patatin gene

Patatin is one of the major soluble proteins in potato tubers and is encoded by a multigene family. Based on structural considerations two classes of patatin genes are distinguished. The 5′‐upstream regulatory region of a class I gene contained within a 1.5 kb sequence is essential and sufficient to direct a high level of tuber‐specific gene activity which was on average 100‐ to 1000‐fold higher in tubers as compared to leaf, stem and roots in greenhouse grown transgenic potato plants when fused to the β‐glucuronidase reporter gene. Histochemical analysis revealed this activity to be present in parenchymatic tissue but not in the peripheral phellem cells of transgenic tubers. Furthermore the promoter fragment can be activated in leaves under conditions that simulate the need for the accumulation of starch in storage organs, i.e. high levels of sucrose. The expression is restricted to both mesophyll and epidermal cells in contrast to vascular tissue or hair cells.