Computational Molecular Biology 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 26-37 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/cmb 26 Review Article Open Access Regulatory Networks in Potato Tuber Development ShiyingYu Biotechnology Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, China Corresponding author: shiying.yu@cuixi.org Computational Molecular Biology, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/cmb.2025.15.0003 Received: 10 Nov., 2024 Accepted: 21 Jan., 2025 Published” 09 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Yu, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Yu S.Y., 2025, Regulatory networks in potato tuber development, Computational Molecular Biology, 15(1): 26-37 (doi: 10.5376/cmb.2025.15.0003) Abstract Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most important food crops in the world, and the formation and development of its tubers are key processes regulated by complex genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. This study systematically analyzed the network regulating potato tuber development, focusing on genetic regulation, hormone control, environmental impact, and dormancy regulation. The study analyzed in detail the roles of key genetic factors such as transcription factors and epigenetic modifications in tuber initiation and growth, and explored the interactions between auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, and abscisic acid on tuber maturation and dormancy. In addition, this article also discusses the latest advances in omics technology and CRISPR gene editing, which provide new possibilities for improving tuber yield and stress resistance. The review also pointed out the knowledge gaps in the current regulatory network and the future research directions, especially the opportunities in developing stress resistant potato varieties through targeted breeding and biotechnology methods. This study emphasizes the combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors to promote sustainable potato cultivation in the context of global climate change. Keywords Potato tuber development; Genetic regulation; Hormonal signaling; CRISPR gene editing; Stress resistance 1 Introduction When it comes to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), it feeds a lot of people, and hundreds of millions of people around the world rely on it to fill their stomachs. But you may not know that its tubers buried in the soil are not simple. In addition to starch, they also contain a lot of protein and vitamins. In fact, the growth of tubers depends on luck-genes are certainly important, but external factors such as light and temperature also tend to interfere. When it comes to tuber formation, how did the creeping stems that were originally crawling underground suddenly swell into tubers? Here, hormones such as gibberellin and cytokinin are playing tricks (Kondhare et al., 2020), but scientists are still figuring out how they actually work. Sometimes, even though the conditions are the same, some plants refuse to grow tubers properly. Do you think it's frustrating? These hormone signals are like conductors, controlling when the tubers grow, when they stop, and even when they go to sleep, the whole process is like a roller coaster going up and down. Studying how potato tubers grow is actually quite a hassle. Scientists have discovered that when the temperature changes or the duration of light is altered, this thing starts to throw tantrums-sometimes it grows wildly, and sometimes it just won't move. Hormones are randomly mixed in, such as growth hormone, transcription factors like StSP6A, all mixed in. Especially during short-day periods, StSP6A acts like a switch, activated at will (Deng et al., 2021). However, to be honest, even if these molecular signals are clarified, the actual operation is still troublesome. After all, plants are not machines; how can they be adjusted at will? Nowadays, with technologies like transcriptomics and proteomics, it is possible to map out these chaotic regulatory networks. However, while mapping is one thing, if you really want the tubers to obediently grow longer and get sick less often, it still depends on luck. The question of how potato tubers grow is actually quite complicated-genes, hormones, and weather are all mixed up in it. There are many people studying this now, but to be honest, many details are still unclear. For example, those plant hormones can cause the tubers to grow wildly at times, then let them rest, and with transcriptional regulation mixed in, the entire signaling pathway becomes chaotic like a ball of yarn. However, recently CRISPR gene editing technology has been quite popular, maybe it can be used to make potatoes produce more tubers or
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