So far in this course we have dealt entirely with the evolution of characters that are controlled by simple Mendelian inheritance at a single locus. There are notes on the course website about gametic disequilibrium and how allele frequencies change at two loci simultaneously, but we didn’t discuss them. In every example we’ve considered we’ve imagined that we could understand something about evolution by examining the evolution of a single gene. That’s the domain of classical population genetics. For the next few weeks we’re going to be exploring a field that’s actually older than classical population genetics, although the approach we’ll be taking to it involves the use of population genetic machinery. If you know a little about the history of evolutionary biology, you may know that after the rediscovery of Mendel’s work in 1900 there was a heated debate between the “biometricians” (e.g., Galton and Pearson) and the “Mendelians” (e.g., de Vries, Correns, Bateson, and Morgan). Biometricians asserted that the really important variation in evolution didn’t follow Mendelian rules. Height, weight, skin color, and similar traits seemed to

Human biochemical genetics

Potatoes, members of the Solanaceae plant family, serve as major, inexpensive low-fat food sources providing energy (starch), high-quality protein, fiber, and vitamins. Potatoes also produce biologically active secondary metabolites, which may have both adverse and beneficial effects in the diet. These include glycoalkaloids, calystegine alkaloids, protease inhibitors, lectins, phenolic compounds, and chlorophyll. Because glycoalkaloids are reported to be involved in host-plant resistance and to have a variety of adverse as well as beneficial effects in cells, animals, and humans, a need exists to develop a clearer understanding of their roles both in the plant and in the diet. To contribute to this effort, this integrated review presents data on the (a) history of glycoalkaloids; (b) glycoalkaloid content in different parts of the potato plant, in processed potato products, and in wild, transgenic, and organic potatoes; (c) biosynthesis, inheritance, plant molecular biology, and glycoalkaloid−plant phyto...

Potato Glycoalkaloids and Metabolites: Roles in the Plant and in the Diet

Potatoes, members of the Solanaceae plant family, serve as a major, inexpensive food source for both energy (starch) and good-quality protein, with worldwide production of about 350 million tons per year. U.S. per capita consumption of potatoes is about 61 kg/year. Potatoes also produce potentially toxic glycoalkaloids, both during growth and after harvest. Glycoalkaloids appear to be more toxic to man than to other animals. The toxicity may be due to anticholinesterase activity of the glycoalkaloids on the central nervous system and to disruptions of cell membranes affecting the digestive system and other organs. The possible contribution of glycoalkaloids to the multifactorial aspects of teratogenicity is inconclusive. Possible safe levels are controversial; guidelines limiting glycoalkaloid content of potato cultivars are currently being debated. This review presents an integrated, critical assessment of the multifaceted aspects of the role glycoalkaloids play in nutrition and food safety; che...

Potato glycoalkaloids: chemistry, analysis, safety, and plant physiology

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the deamidation of glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues in peptides and proteins. The occurrence of glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues in peptides and proteins is so widespread that these residues have become known as 2 of the 20 most commonly occurring amino acid residues. It has been hypothesized that these residues play static roles in protein structure and also play dynamic roles as molecular timers of biological events. Deamidation of glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues has been responsible for artifacts in peptide and protein chemistry. The rate of deamidation of these residues has been shown to be dependent upon primary sequence, secondary and tertiary structure, temperature, pH, ionic strength, and special intermolecular interactions. Deamidation has been found to occur in a wide variety of different proteins and may be expected to occur in most proteins under physiological conditions. Many of the essential processes in living things may be timed by deamidation of glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues. These molecular timers are under simple genetic control, are adjustable to many different timed intervals, and are easily implementable by means of the important changes that they can effect in the proteins in which they are included.

Deamidation of Glutaminyl and Asparaginyl Residues in Peptides and Proteins

Potatoes, tomatoes, and aubergines are all species of the Solanum genus and contain a vast array of secondary metabolites including calystegine alkaloids, phenolic compounds, lectins, and glycoalkaloids. Glycoalkaloids have been the subject of many literature papers, occur widely in the human diet, and are known to induce toxicity. Therefore, from a food safety perspective further information is required regarding their analysis, toxicity, and bioavailability. This is especially important in crop cultivars derived from wild species to prevent glycoalkaloid-induced toxicity. A comprehensive review of the bioactivity of glycoalkaloids and their aglycones of the Solanum species, particularly focused on comparison of their bioactivities including their anticancer, anticholesterol, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antipyretic effects, toxicity, and synergism of action of the principal Solanum glycoalkaloids, correlated to differences of their individual molecular structures is presented.

Bioactivities of glycoalkaloids and their aglycones from Solanum species.

A method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of total glycoalkaloids (TGA) in potato tubers. The method consists of TGA extraction by suitable solvent mixtures followed by hydrolysis of the glycosides and extraction of the aglycones. The aglycones are then quantitated by nonaqueous titration. The advantages of this method over those previously described are the inclusion of glycoalkaloids that are not measured by other methods, and the simplicity, safety, and rapid nature of the procedure. This method has been applied to the TGA analysis of potato tubers subjected to a variety of storage and treatment conditions.

A comprehensive method for the determination of total potato glycoalkaloids

Separation of potato glycoalkaloids by gas chromatography.

Commersonine, a new glycoalkaloid from two Solanum species

Four commercial cultivars of potatoes were maintained under normal storage conditions at 44 F for 34 weeks. Except for a final 10 week interval tubers were withdrawn at 6 week intervals. After slicing, a portion of the slices was immediately analyzed for total glycoalkaloid content. The remaining slices were aged for four days in the dark at room temperature, then similarly analyzed. The total glycoalkaloid content of the aged slices increased dramatically on aging. This increase on aging of slices reached a maximum early in storage then decreased gradually over the storage period. In determining the individual glycoalkaloids, α-solanine and α-chaconine both increased in these slices, but the greatest increase was in the former. Appearing solely in the aged slices of the Kennebec variety, α-and β-solamarine appeared early in the storage period and gradually decreased over the storage period. Analyses of the unaged slices indicated that the glycoalkaloid content and composition of the potato tubers was little affected by storage. Aging of potato sprouts did not change their glycoalkaloid content.

Potato glycoalkaloids: Increases and variations of ratios in aged slices over prolonged storage

Specific gravity and total solids data were studied statistically to test the absolute reliability of the relationship in American potatoes. On a limited number of samples it is strongly indicated that studies should be instituted in the United States to establish a regression curve especially suited to American varieties and growing conditions. The variation in the relationship, due to tissue air space and perhaps other causes, indicates doubt as to the absolute reliability of individual total solids values determined by means of specific gravity. This is amply demonstrated by the 95% confidence limit of ± 1.5% total solids.

Studies of the relationship of specific gravity to total solids of potatoes

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