Glycoalkaloids as Biomarkers for Recognition of Cultivated, Wild, and Somatic Hybrids of Potato

Cultivated and wild potato species synthesize a wide variety of steroidal glycoalkaloids (GAs). During breeding programs, species genomes are often put together through either sexual or somatic hybridization. Therefore, the determination of the GA composition of hybrids is very important in that it may affect either human consumption, or resistance to pathogen and pests. Here, we report the results of GA analysis performed on wild Solanum bulbocastanum, haploids of cultivated potato S. tuberosum and their interspecific somatic hybrids. GAs were extracted from tubers and analyzed by HPLC. HPLC Profile of S. tuberosum haploids showed, as expected, the presence of alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine. The profile of S. bulbocastanum extract showed lack of alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine, and the presence of four GAs. The GA pattern of the somatic hybrids was the sum of their parents' profile. This represents a noteworthy tool for their unequivocal recognition. Interestingly, two hybrids produced not only GAs of both parents but also new compounds to be further investigated. This provided evidence that somatic hybridization induced the synthesis of new metabolites. The nature of the probable unidentified GAs associated to S. bulbocastanum and its somatic hybrids was ascertained by chemical degradation and spectroscopic analysis of their aglycones and sugar moieties. Our results suggest their close relation with GAs of both wild and cultivated potato species.