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Parchuri P, Bhandari S, Azeez A, Chen G, Johnson K, Shockey J, Smertenko A, Bates PD. Identification of triacylglycerol remodeling mechanism to synthesize unusual fatty acid containing oils. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3547. [PMID: 38670976 PMCID: PMC11053099 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47995-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Typical plant membranes and storage lipids are comprised of five common fatty acids yet over 450 unusual fatty acids accumulate in seed oils of various plant species. Plant oils are important human and animal nutrients, while some unusual fatty acids such as hydroxylated fatty acids (HFA) are used in the chemical industry (lubricants, paints, polymers, cosmetics, etc.). Most unusual fatty acids are extracted from non-agronomic crops leading to high production costs. Attempts to engineer HFA into crops are unsuccessful due to bottlenecks in the overlapping pathways of oil and membrane lipid synthesis where HFA are not compatible. Physaria fendleri naturally overcomes these bottlenecks through a triacylglycerol (TAG) remodeling mechanism where HFA are incorporated into TAG after initial synthesis. TAG remodeling involves a unique TAG lipase and two diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT) that are selective for different stereochemical and acyl-containing species of diacylglycerol within a synthesis, partial degradation, and resynthesis cycle. The TAG lipase interacts with DGAT1, localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (with the DGATs) and to puncta around the lipid droplet, likely forming a TAG remodeling metabolon near the lipid droplet-ER junction. Each characterized DGAT and TAG lipase can increase HFA accumulation in engineered seed oils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasad Parchuri
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Sajina Bhandari
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Abdul Azeez
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Grace Chen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, 94710, USA
| | - Kumiko Johnson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA, 94710, USA
| | - Jay Shockey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, 70124, LA, USA
| | - Andrei Smertenko
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Philip D Bates
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA.
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Cocuron JC, Alonso AP. 13C-labeling reveals non-conventional pathways providing carbon for hydroxy fatty acid synthesis in Physaria fendleri. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:1754-1766. [PMID: 37668184 PMCID: PMC11275461 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Physaria fendleri is a member of the Brassicaceae that produces in its embryos hydroxy fatty acids, constituents of oils that are very valuable and widely used by industry for cosmetics, lubricants, biofuels, etc. Free of toxins and rich in hydroxy fatty acids, Physaria provides a promising alternative to imported castor oil and is on the verge of being commercialized. This study aims to identify important biochemical step(s) for oil synthesis in Physaria, which may serve as target(s) for future crop improvement. To advance towards this goal, the endosperm composition was analysed by LC-MS/MS to develop and validate culture conditions that mimic the development of the embryos in planta. Using developing Physaria embryos in culture and 13C-labeling, our studies revealed that: (i) Physaria embryos metabolize carbon into biomass with an efficiency significantly lower than other photosynthetic embryos; (ii) the plastidic malic enzyme provides 42% of the pyruvate used for de novo fatty acid synthesis, which is the highest measured so far in developing 'green' oilseed embryos; and (iii) Physaria uses non-conventional pathways to channel carbon into oil, namely the Rubisco shunt, which fixes CO2 released in the plastid, and the reversibility of isocitrate dehydrogenase, which provides additional carbon for fatty acid elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana Paula Alonso
- BioAnalytical Facility, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
- BioDiscovery Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
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Zhang W, Hu W, Zhu Q, Niu M, An N, Feng Y, Kawamura K, Fu P. Hydroxy fatty acids in the surface Earth system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167358. [PMID: 37793460 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Lipids are ubiquitous and highly abundant in a wide range of organisms and have been found in various types of environmental media. These molecules play a crucial role as organic tracers by providing a chemical perspective on viewing the material world, as well as offering a wealth of information on metabolic activities. Among the diverse lipid compounds, hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) with one to multiple hydroxyl groups attached to the carbon chain stand out as important biomarkers for different sources of organic matter. HFAs are widespread in nature and are involved in biotransformation and oxidation processes in living organisms. The unique chemical and physical properties attributed to the hydroxyl group make HFAs ideal biomarkers in biomedicine and environmental toxicology, as well as organic geochemistry. The molecular distribution patterns of HFAs can be unique and diagnostic for a given class of organisms, including animals, plants, and microorganisms. Thus, HFAs can act as a valuable proxy for understanding the ecological relationships between different organisms and their environment. Furthermore, HFAs have numerous industrial applications due to their higher reactivity, viscosity, and solvent miscibility. This review paper integrates the latest research on the sources and chemical analyses of HFAs, as well as their applications in industrial/medicinal production and as biomarkers in environmental studies. This review article also provides insights into the biogeochemical cycles of HFAs in the surface Earth system, highlighting the importance of these compounds in understanding the complex interactions between living organisms and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxin Zhang
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Wei Hu
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Bohai Rim Coastal Earth Critical Zone National Observation and Research Station, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Quanfei Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Mutong Niu
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Na An
- Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Yuqi Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Kimitaka Kawamura
- Chubu Institute for Advanced Studies, Chubu University, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Pingqing Fu
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Earth Critical Zone Science and Sustainable Development in Bohai Rim, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
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Yu A, Zhou Z, Chen Y, Sun J, Li P, Gu X, Liu A. Functional Genome Analyses Reveal the Molecular Basis of Oil Accumulation in Developing Seeds of Castor Beans. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:92. [PMID: 38203263 PMCID: PMC10778879 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Castor (Ricinus communis L.) seeds produce abundant ricinoleic acid during seed maturation, which is important for plant development and human demands. Ricinoleic acid, as a unique hydroxy fatty acid (HFA), possesses a distinct bond structure that could be used as a substitute for fossil fuels. Here, we identified all homologous genes related to glycolysis, hydroxy fatty acid biosynthesis, and triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in castor seeds. Furthermore, we investigated their expression patterns globally during five seed development stages. We characterized a total of 66 genes involved in the glycolysis pathway, with the majority exhibiting higher expression levels during the early stage of castor bean seed development. This metabolic process provided abundant acetyl-CoA for fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis. Subsequently, we identified 82 genes involved in the processes of de novo FA biosynthesis and TAG assembly, with the majority exhibiting high expression levels during the middle or late stages. In addition, we examined the expression patterns of the transcription factors involved in carbohydrate and oil metabolism. For instance, RcMYB73 and RcERF72 exhibited high expression levels during the early stage, whereas RcWRI1, RcABI3, and RcbZIP67 showed relatively higher expression levels during the middle and late stages, indicating their crucial roles in seed development and oil accumulation. Our study suggests that the high HFA production in castor seeds is attributed to the interaction of multiple genes from sugar transportation to lipid droplet packaging. Therefore, this research comprehensively characterizes all the genes related to glycolysis, fatty acid biosynthesis, and triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in the castor and provides novel insight into exploring the genetic mechanisms underlying seed oil accumulation in the endosperm of castor beans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Aizhong Liu
- Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China, Ministry of Education, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China; (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (Y.C.); (J.S.); (P.L.); (X.G.)
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Bu M, Fan W, Li R, He B, Cui P. Lipid Metabolism and Improvement in Oilseed Crops: Recent Advances in Multi-Omics Studies. Metabolites 2023; 13:1170. [PMID: 38132852 PMCID: PMC10744971 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13121170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Oilseed crops are rich in plant lipids that not only provide essential fatty acids for the human diet but also play important roles as major sources of biofuels and indispensable raw materials for the chemical industry. The regulation of lipid metabolism genes is a major factor affecting oil production. In this review, we systematically summarize the metabolic pathways related to lipid production and storage in plants and highlight key research advances in characterizing the genes and regulatory factors influencing lipid anabolic metabolism. In addition, we integrate the latest results from multi-omics studies on lipid metabolism to provide a reference to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying oil anabolism in oilseed crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjia Bu
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
- College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wei Fan
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Ruonan Li
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Bing He
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Peng Cui
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
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Cai Y, Yu XH, Shanklin J. A toolkit for plant lipid engineering: Surveying the efficacies of lipogenic factors for accumulating specialty lipids. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1064176. [PMID: 36589075 PMCID: PMC9795026 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1064176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce energy-dense lipids from carbohydrates using energy acquired via photosynthesis, making plant oils an economically and sustainably attractive feedstock for conversion to biofuels and value-added bioproducts. A growing number of strategies have been developed and optimized in model plants, oilseed crops and high-biomass crops to enhance the accumulation of storage lipids (mostly triacylglycerols, TAGs) for bioenergy applications and to produce specialty lipids with increased uses and value for chemical feedstock and nutritional applications. Most successful metabolic engineering strategies involve heterologous expression of lipogenic factors that outperform those from other sources or exhibit specialized functionality. In this review, we summarize recent progress in engineering the accumulation of triacylglycerols containing - specialized fatty acids in various plant species and tissues. We also provide an inventory of specific lipogenic factors (including accession numbers) derived from a wide variety of organisms, along with their reported efficacy in supporting the accumulation of desired lipids. A review of previously obtained results serves as a foundation to guide future efforts to optimize combinations of factors to achieve further enhancements to the production and accumulation of desired lipids in a variety of plant tissues and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingqi Cai
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
| | - Xiao-Hong Yu
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - John Shanklin
- Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
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Chen G, Harwood JL, Lemieux MJ, Stone SJ, Weselake RJ. Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase: Properties, physiological roles, metabolic engineering and intentional control. Prog Lipid Res 2022; 88:101181. [PMID: 35820474 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2022.101181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT, EC 2.3.1.20) catalyzes the last reaction in the acyl-CoA-dependent biosynthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG). DGAT activity resides mainly in membrane-bound DGAT1 and DGAT2 in eukaryotes and bifunctional wax ester synthase-diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WSD) in bacteria, which are all membrane-bound proteins but exhibit no sequence homology to each other. Recent studies also identified other DGAT enzymes such as the soluble DGAT3 and diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT), as well as enzymes with DGAT activities including defective in cuticular ridges (DCR) and steryl and phytyl ester synthases (PESs). This review comprehensively discusses research advances on DGATs in prokaryotes and eukaryotes with a focus on their biochemical properties, physiological roles, and biotechnological and therapeutic applications. The review begins with a discussion of DGAT assay methods, followed by a systematic discussion of TAG biosynthesis and the properties and physiological role of DGATs. Thereafter, the review discusses the three-dimensional structure and insights into mechanism of action of human DGAT1, and the modeled DGAT1 from Brassica napus. The review then examines metabolic engineering strategies involving manipulation of DGAT, followed by a discussion of its therapeutic applications. DGAT in relation to improvement of livestock traits is also discussed along with DGATs in various other eukaryotic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanqun Chen
- Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 2P5, Canada.
| | - John L Harwood
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | - M Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Edmonton T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Scot J Stone
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada.
| | - Randall J Weselake
- Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 2P5, Canada
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Bengtsson JD, Wallis JG, Browse J. Expression of Physaria longchain acyl-CoA synthetases and hydroxy fatty acid accumulation in transgenic Arabidopsis. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 274:153717. [PMID: 35584570 PMCID: PMC9494924 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Hydroxy fatty acids (HFA) are industrially useful chemical feedstocks that accumulate in seed-storage triacylglycerols (TAG) of several plant species, including castor (Ricinus communis) and Physaria (Physaria fendleri). For researchers, HFA also offer a unique opportunity to trace fatty acid metabolism and modification. Past work producing HFA in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has demonstrated the importance of isozymes of TAG synthesis from plants that evolved to store HFA and as a result have a high degree of specificity towards HFA substrates. Castor phospholipase A2α (RcPLA2) has specificity for HFA-containing phosphatidylcholine. However, expression of RcPLA2 in HFA-accumulating Arabidopsis line CL37-PLA2 reduced HFA content of TAG. This loss was interpreted as being due to poor ability of Arabidopsis longchain acyl-CoA synthetases (LACSs) to utilize HFAs substrates. LACS enzymes are essential to activate HFA to HFA-CoA for TAG synthesis. Physaria is a close relative of Arabidopsis in the Brassicaceae family. To test the hypothesis that this close relatedness would allow Physaria LACSs to interface successfully with Arabidopsis enzymes of seed lipid metabolism and thereby restore HFA accumulation, we transformed PfLACS4 and PfLACS8 constructs into the CL37-PLA2 line. However, HFA content was not recovered, and biochemical characterization of recombinant PfLACS4 and PfLACS8 indicated that these isozymes have substrate specificities and selectivities that are similar to their Arabidopsis orthologues. These and other results pose an important question about how HFA synthesized on phosphatidylcholine can be transferred into the acyl-CoA pool for TAG synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse D Bengtsson
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - James G Wallis
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - John Browse
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
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Suh MC, Uk Kim H, Nakamura Y. Plant lipids: trends and beyond. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2715-2720. [PMID: 35560206 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mi Chung Suh
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul 04107, South Korea
| | - Hyun Uk Kim
- Department of Bioindustry and Bioresource Engineering, Plant Engineering Research Institute, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, South Korea
| | - Yuki Nakamura
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), Yokohama, Japan
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