Dioscorea alata Tuber Proteome Analysis Uncovers Differentially Regulated Growth Associated Pathways of Tuber Development.

During its life cycle Dioscorea tuber undergoes multiple morphological and biochemical changes. To gain a better understanding of the metabolic changes associated with the tuber growth a stage specific gel free proteome analysis of four distinct morphological stages namely germinating tuber (S1), degrading tuber (S2), new tuber formation (S3) and tuber maturation (S4) was done and validated by principal component analysis (PCA). A comprehensive data set identifying 78.2% of the total 3,681 proteins was generated. PANTHER and KEGG MAPPER revealed both expected (carbohydrate metabolism and redox regulation) and novel biological processes (transcription factors and hormonal regulation) characteristic for each developmental stage. Higher abundance of the enzymes of ascorbate-glutathione cycle (ASC-GSH) and carbohydrate metabolism was detected during tuber germination (S1) and tuber formation stages (S3) in comparison with the mature tuber. The presence of ethylene biosynthesis components during tuber formation hints towards its probable role in the post- harvest shelf life. The data set comprehensively describes the proteome of Dioscorea tuber and provides growth specific markers for tuber germination (APx, MDHAR, invertase) and tuber formation (sucrose synthase) which were validated by enzyme activity assays and western blotting. The study provides information that may influence the direction of research for improving the productivity of this under-utilized neglected crop.