The stress-induced expression of four different ubiquitin-encoding cDNAs was characterized in potato tuber tissue. The four clones exhibited differences in both structure and expression. The first cDNA encoded a single ubiquitin unit fused to an 80 amino acid ribosomal extension protein identical to the extension protein from tomato. Accumulation of the fusion transcript was induced by injury or ethylene, but not by heat shock. The three remaining ubiquitin cDNAs encoded polyubiquitins with 6 to 7 ubiquitin repeats. The first polyubiquitin gene was induced by injury, heat, or ethylene treatments. The second was induced also by injury or heat, with limited ethylene-dependent accumulation of transcript. Transcript levels of the third polyubiquitin gene were highest in control tubers and decreased markedly with injury, heat shock, or ethylene treatment. The data demonstrate the independent regulation of the different members of the ubiquitin gene family in response to stress and exogenous ethylene.

A polyubiquitin clone (ubi7) was isolated from a potato (Solanum tuberosum) genomic library using a copy-specific probe from a stress-induced ubiquitin cDNA. The genomic clone contained a 569-bp intron immediately 5' to the initiation codon for the first ubiquitin-coding unit. Two chimeric beta-glucuronidase (GUS) fusion transgenes were introduced into potato. The first contained GUS fused to a 1156-bp promoter fragment containing only 5' flanking and 5' untranslated sequences from ubi7. The second transgene contained GUS translationally fused to the carboxy terminus of the first ubiquitin-coding unit and thus included the intron present in the 5' untranslated region of the polyubiquitin gene. Both ubi7-GUS transgenes were activated by wounding in tuber tissue and in leaves by application of exogenous methyl jasmonate. They were also expressed constitutively in the potato tuber peel (outer 1-2 mm). Both transgenes were actively expressed in mature leaves. Exceptionally high levels of expression were observed in senescent leaves. Transgenic clones containing the ubi7 intron and the first ubiquitin-coding unit showed GUS expression levels at least 10 times higher than clones containing GUS fused to the intronless promoter.