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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 50(12)

Genetic manipulation of protein phosphatase 2A affects multiple agronomic traits and physiological parameters in potato (Solanum tuberosum)

María N. Muñiz García https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3794-5617 A * , Irene Baroli https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9014-0821 B , Juan I. Cortelezzi https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2721-1847 A , Martina Zubillaga https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2327-7366 A and Daniela A. Capiati https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7169-2003 A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular ‘Dr. Héctor N. Torres’ (INGEBI), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Vuelta de Obligado 2490, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

B Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental and Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental Aplicada (IBBEA), Universidad de Buenos Aires and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Int. Güiraldes y Cantilo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

* Correspondence to: noemunizgarcia@gmail.com, dcapiati@dna.uba.ar, dcapiati@gmail.com

Handling Editor: Frans Maathuis

Functional Plant Biology 50(12) 1117-1129 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP23163
Submitted: 25 July 2023  Accepted: 14 October 2023  Published: 30 October 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

In this study, agronomic and functional characteristics of potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants constitutively overexpressing the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) catalytic subunit StPP2Ac2b (StPP2Ac2b-OE) were evaluated. StPP2Ac2b-OE plants display reduced vegetative growth, tuber yield and tuber weight under well-watered and drought conditions. Leaves of StPP2Ac2b-OE plants show an increased rate of water loss, associated with an impaired ability to close stomata in response to abscisic acid. StPP2Ac2b-OE lines exhibit larger stomatal size and reduced stomatal density. These altered stomatal characteristics might be responsible for the impaired stomatal closure and the elevated transpiration rates, ultimately leading to increased sensitivity to water-deficit stress and greater yield loss under drought conditions. Overexpression of StPP2Ac2b accelerates senescence in response to water-deficit stress, which could also contribute to the increased sensitivity to drought. Actively photosynthesising leaves of StPP2Ac2b-OE plants exhibit elevated levels of carbohydrates and a down-regulation of the sucrose transporter StSWEET11, suggesting a reduced sucrose export from leaves to developing tubers. This effect, combined with the hindered vegetative development, may contribute to the reduced tuber weight and yield in StPP2Ac2b-OE plants. These findings offer novel insights into the physiological functions of PP2A in potato plants and provide valuable information for enhancing potato productivity by modulating the expression of StPP2Ac2b.

Keywords: abiotic stress, abscisic acid, agronomic traits, drought, phosphatase, photosynthesis, plant growth, potato, PP2A, Solanum tuberosum, stomatal conductance, sucrose transport, yield.

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