Sequence of two apparent pseudogenes of the major potato tuber protein, patatin

We have completely sequenced two patatin genomic clones Isolated from a genomic library of the potato (Solarium tuberosum L.) cultivar Superior. Comparison of the sequences to the fulllength patatin cDNA, pGMOl (1) permits the assignment of Intron-exon boundaries. Each gene 1s Interrupted by six Introns that vary greatly in length between the two clones. Both clones, SB6B and SA1OC, contain frame-shift mutations that preclude the encoding of ful llength patatin: two adjacent adenosines present 1n the cDNA are deleted 1n SB6B at nucleotide 4542, and a thymidine 1s Inserted at nucleotide 4039 1n SA10C. The readingframes of the two genes are otherwise conserved. These are the f i r s t reported gene sequences of any members of the patatin multigene family.