Potato toxin gene discovered by Japanese scientists

When eating potatoes, you must not eat the young sprouts, because potato sprouts contain natural toxins that can cause food poisoning. Japanese researchers recently discovered that a gene in potatoes is involved in synthesizing natural toxins in the young sprouts and in the skin that turns green after exposure to light. If this gene can be made to stop functioning, it may be possible to develop new potato varieties with very low toxic content.

Researchers from Japan's RIKEN, Osaka University and other institutions conducted experiments using yeast and discovered that a gene called "SSR2" is involved in cholesterol synthesis. The researchers then created potatoes in which this gene could not function, and found that the content of steroidal glycoalkaloids dropped to about 10% of the usual level.