Figure 6.

Malformed Tubers and Controls.

Malformed tubers produced by suppression mutants of tuber-associated LOXs are shown at left. Suppression mutants were produced by the introduction of antisense sequence from the LOX cDNA POTLX-1 under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. LOX activity was reduced relative to the controls shown at right in both of these antisense tubers. LOX activity in the tuber from line 18 (bottom left) was reduced 38% relative to controls, whereas LOX activity in the tuber from line 33 (top left) was reduced 76%. Tubers were harvested from potted plants 4 months after transplanting in the greenhouse. The proximal end of the tuber, where it attaches to the stolon, is oriented toward the top of the figure. A remnant stolon connection can be seen on the control tuber at bottom right. The control tubers were selected to be equivalent sizes to the mutant tubers to facilitate a visual morphological comparison. The sizes of the tubers in this figure are not representative of the reduction in average tuber size exhibited by the Lox1 class suppression mutants.