1
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Johnston CR, Horn PJ, Alonso AP. First draft reference genome and annotation of the alternative oil species Physaria fendleri. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae114. [PMID: 38805698 PMCID: PMC11373644 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae114] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
In the wake of increasing demand for renewable energy sources, plant-based sources including alternative oilseeds have come to the forefront of interest. Hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs), produced in a few oilseed species, are important chemical feed stocks for industrial applications. An integrated approach was taken to assemble the first draft genome of the alternative HFA producer Physaria fendleri (n = 6), an outcrossing species with high heterozygosity. Both de novo transcriptome assemblies and genome assemblies were produced with public and generated sequencing reads. Resulting intermediate assemblies were then scaffolded and patched with multiple data sources, followed by super-scaffolding onto a masked genome of Camelina laxa (n = 6). Despite a current lack of available resources for the physical mapping of genomic scaffolds of P. fendleri, topography of the genome with respect to repeat and gene content was preserved at the scaffold level and not significantly lost via super-scaffolding. Read representation, gene and genome completion statistics, and annotation results illustrated the creation of a functional draft genome and a tool for future research on alternative oil species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Johnston
- BioDiscovery Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201, USA
| | - Patrick J Horn
- BioDiscovery Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201, USA
| | - Ana Paula Alonso
- BioDiscovery Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201, USA
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2
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Clews AC, Ulch BA, Jesionowska M, Hong J, Mullen RT, Xu Y. Variety of Plant Oils: Species-Specific Lipid Biosynthesis. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 65:845-862. [PMID: 37971406 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcad147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant oils represent a large group of neutral lipids with important applications in food, feed and oleochemical industries. Most plants accumulate oils in the form of triacylglycerol within seeds and their surrounding tissues, which comprises three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. Different plant species accumulate unique fatty acids in their oils, serving a range of applications in pharmaceuticals and oleochemicals. To enable the production of these distinctive oils, select plant species have adapted specialized oil metabolism pathways, involving differential gene co-expression networks and structurally divergent enzymes/proteins. Here, we summarize some of the recent advances in our understanding of oil biosynthesis in plants. We compare expression patterns of oil metabolism genes from representative species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Ricinus communis (castor bean), Linum usitatissimum L. (flax) and Elaeis guineensis (oil palm) to showcase the co-expression networks of relevant genes for acyl metabolism. We also review several divergent enzymes/proteins associated with key catalytic steps of unique oil accumulation, including fatty acid desaturases, diacylglycerol acyltransferases and oleosins, highlighting their structural features and preference toward unique lipid substrates. Lastly, we briefly discuss protein interactomes and substrate channeling for oil biosynthesis and the complex regulation of these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa C Clews
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Brandon A Ulch
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Monika Jesionowska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Jun Hong
- Center for Desert Agriculture, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Robert T Mullen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Yang Xu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
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3
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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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4
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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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5
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Abdullah HM, Pang N, Chilcoat B, Shachar-Hill Y, Schnell DJ, Dhankher OP. Overexpression of the Phosphatidylcholine:DiacylglycerolCholinephosphotransferase (PDCT) gene increases carbon flux toward triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis in Camelinasativa seeds. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 208:108470. [PMID: 38422576 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Camelinasativa has considerable promise as a dedicated industrial oilseed crop. Its oil-based blends have been tested and approved as liquid transportation fuels. Previously, we utilized metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling approaches and identified metabolic bottlenecks that control oil production and accumulation in seeds. Accordingly, we selected candidate genes for the metabolic engineering of Camelina. Here we targeted the overexpression of Camelina PDCT gene, which encodes the phosphatidylcholine: diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase enzyme. PDCT is proposed as a gatekeeper responsible for the interconversions of diacylglycerol (DAG) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) pools and has the potential to increase the levels of TAG in seeds. To confirm whether increased CsPDCT activity in developing Camelina seeds would enhance carbon flux toward increased levels of TAG and alter oil composition, we overexpressed the CsPDCT gene under the control of the seed-specific phaseolin promoter. Camelina transgenics exhibited significant increases in seed yield (19-56%), seed oil content (9-13%), oil yields per plant (32-76%), and altered polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content compared to their parental wild-type (WT) plants. Results from [14C] acetate labeling of Camelina developing embryos expressing CsPDCT in culture indicated increased rates of radiolabeled fatty acid incorporation into glycerolipids (up to 64%, 59%, and 43% higher in TAG, DAG, and PC, respectively), relative to WT embryos. We conclude that overexpression of PDCT appears to be a positive strategy to achieve a synergistic effect on the flux through the TAG synthesis pathway, thereby further increasing oil yields in Camelina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hesham M Abdullah
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, 01003, USA; Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA; Biotechnology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11651, Egypt.
| | - Na Pang
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Benjamin Chilcoat
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Yair Shachar-Hill
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Danny J Schnell
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Om Parkash Dhankher
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
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6
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Johnston CR, Arias CL, Alonso AP. Efficient and Powerful Integration of Targeted Metabolomics and Transcriptomics for Analyzing the Metabolism Behind Desirable Traits in Plants. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2812:47-99. [PMID: 39068357 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3886-6_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Through current mass spectrometry methods and multiple RNA-Seq technologies, large metabolomics and transcriptomics datasets are readily obtainable, which provide a powerful and global perspective on metabolism. Indeed, one "omics" method is often not enough to draw strong conclusions about metabolism. Combining and interpreting multiple "omics" datasets remains a challenging task that requires careful statistical considerations and pre-planning. Here we describe a protocol for obtaining high-quality metabolomics and transcriptomics datasets in developing plant embryos followed by a robust approach to integration of the two. This protocol is readily adjustable and scalable to any other metabolically active organ or tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Johnston
- Department of Biological Sciences & BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Cintia L Arias
- Department of Biological Sciences & BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Ana Paula Alonso
- Department of Biological Sciences & BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA.
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7
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Cai H, Des Marais DL. Revisiting regulatory coherence: accounting for temporal bias in plant gene co-expression analyses. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:16-24. [PMID: 36617750 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Cai
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT, 15 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - David L Des Marais
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT, 15 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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8
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Shockey J, Parchuri P, Thyssen GN, Bates PD. Assessing the biotechnological potential of cotton type-1 and type-2 diacylglycerol acyltransferases in transgenic systems. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2023; 196:940-951. [PMID: 36889233 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.02.040] [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: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The chemical and physical properties of vegetable oils are largely dictated by the ratios of 4-6 common fatty acids contained within each oil. However, examples of plant species that accumulate from trace amounts to >90% of certain unusual fatty acids in seed triacylglycerols have been reported. Many of the general enzymatic reactions that drive both common and unusual fatty acid biosynthesis and accumulation in stored lipids are known, but which isozymes have evolved to specifically fill this role and how they coordinate in vivo is still poorly understood. Cotton (Gossypium sp.) is the very rare example of a commodity oilseed that produces biologically relevant amounts of unusual fatty acids in its seeds and other organs. In this case, unusual cyclopropyl fatty acids (named after the cyclopropane and cyclopropene moieties within the fatty acids) are found in membrane and storage glycerolipids (e.g. seed oils). Such fatty acids are useful in the synthesis of lubricants, coatings, and other types of valuable industrial feedstocks. To characterize the role of cotton acyltransferases in cyclopropyl fatty acid accumulation for bioengineering applications, we cloned and characterized type-1 and type-2 diacylglycerol acyltransferases from cotton and compared their biochemical properties to that of litchi (Litchi chinensis), another cyclopropyl fatty acid-producing plant. The results presented from transgenic microbes and plants indicate both cotton DGAT1 and DGAT2 isozymes efficiently utilize cyclopropyl fatty acid-containing substrates, which helps to alleviate biosynthetic bottlenecks and enhances total cyclopropyl fatty acid accumulation in the seed oil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Shockey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA, USA, 70124.
| | - Prasad Parchuri
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA, 99164
| | - Gregory N Thyssen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA, USA, 70124
| | - Philip D Bates
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA, 99164
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9
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Hu H, Swift A, Mauro-Herrera M, Borrone J, Borja G, Doust AN. Transcriptomic analysis of seed development in Paysonia auriculata (Brassicaceae) identifies genes involved in hydroxy fatty acid biosynthesis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1079146. [PMID: 36714715 PMCID: PMC9880434 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1079146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Paysonia auriculata (Brassicaceae) produces multiple hydroxy fatty acids as major components of the seed oil. We tracked the changes in seed oil composition and gene expression during development, starting 14 days after flowers had been pollinated. Seed oil changes showed initially higher levels of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (FAs) but little accumulation of hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs). Starting 21 days after pollination (DAP) HFA content sharply increased, and reached almost 30% at 28 DAP. Total seed oil also increased from a low of approximately 2% at 14 DAP to a high of approximately 20% by 42 DAP. We identified almost all of the fatty acid synthesis and modification genes that are known from Arabidopsis, and, in addition, a strong candidate for the hydroxylase gene that mediates the hydroxylation of fatty acids to produce valuable hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) in this species. The gene expression network revealed is very similar to that of the emerging oil crop, Physaria fendleri, in the sister genus to Paysonia. Phylogenetic analyses indicate the hydroxylase enzyme, FAH12, evolved only once in Paysonia and Physaria, and that the enzyme is closely related to FAD2 enzymes. Phylogenetic analyses of FAD2 and FAH12 in the Brassicaceae and outgroup genera suggest that the branch leading to the hydroxylase clade of Paysonia and Physaria is under relaxed selection, compared with the strong purifying selection found across the FAD2 lineages.
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10
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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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11
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Pranneshraj V, Sangha MK, Djalovic I, Miladinovic J, Djanaguiraman M. Lipidomics-Assisted GWAS (lGWAS) Approach for Improving High-Temperature Stress Tolerance of Crops. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169389. [PMID: 36012660 PMCID: PMC9409476 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
High-temperature stress (HT) over crop productivity is an important environmental factor demanding more attention as recent global warming trends are alarming and pose a potential threat to crop production. According to the Sixth IPCC report, future years will have longer warm seasons and frequent heat waves. Thus, the need arises to develop HT-tolerant genotypes that can be used to breed high-yielding crops. Several physiological, biochemical, and molecular alterations are orchestrated in providing HT tolerance to a genotype. One mechanism to counter HT is overcoming high-temperature-induced membrane superfluidity and structural disorganizations. Several HT lipidomic studies on different genotypes have indicated the potential involvement of membrane lipid remodelling in providing HT tolerance. Advances in high-throughput analytical techniques such as tandem mass spectrometry have paved the way for large-scale identification and quantification of the enormously diverse lipid molecules in a single run. Physiological trait-based breeding has been employed so far to identify and select HT tolerant genotypes but has several disadvantages, such as the genotype-phenotype gap affecting the efficiency of identifying the underlying genetic association. Tolerant genotypes maintain a high photosynthetic rate, stable membranes, and membrane-associated mechanisms. In this context, studying the HT-induced membrane lipid remodelling, resultant of several up-/down-regulations of genes and post-translational modifications, will aid in identifying potential lipid biomarkers for HT tolerance/susceptibility. The identified lipid biomarkers (LIPIDOTYPE) can thus be considered an intermediate phenotype, bridging the gap between genotype–phenotype (genotype–LIPIDOTYPE–phenotype). Recent works integrating metabolomics with quantitative genetic studies such as GWAS (mGWAS) have provided close associations between genotype, metabolites, and stress-tolerant phenotypes. This review has been sculpted to provide a potential workflow that combines MS-based lipidomics and the robust GWAS (lipidomics assisted GWAS-lGWAS) to identify membrane lipid remodelling related genes and associations which can be used to develop HS tolerant genotypes with enhanced membrane thermostability (MTS) and heat stable photosynthesis (HP).
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Affiliation(s)
- Velumani Pranneshraj
- Department of Biochemistry, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, India
| | - Manjeet Kaur Sangha
- Department of Biochemistry, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, India
| | - Ivica Djalovic
- Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Maxim Gorki 30, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Correspondence: (I.D.); (M.D.)
| | - Jegor Miladinovic
- Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Maxim Gorki 30, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Maduraimuthu Djanaguiraman
- Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India
- Correspondence: (I.D.); (M.D.)
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12
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Johnston C, García Navarrete LT, Ortiz E, Romsdahl TB, Guzha A, Chapman KD, Grotewold E, Alonso AP. Effective Mechanisms for Improving Seed Oil Production in Pennycress ( Thlaspi arvense L.) Highlighted by Integration of Comparative Metabolomics and Transcriptomics. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:943585. [PMID: 35909773 PMCID: PMC9330397 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.943585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pennycress is a potentially lucrative biofuel crop due to its high content of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, and because it uses non-conventional pathways to achieve efficient oil production. However, metabolic engineering is required to improve pennycress oilseed content and make it an economically viable source of aviation fuel. Research is warranted to determine if further upregulation of these non-conventional pathways could improve oil production within the species even more, which would indicate these processes serve as promising metabolic engineering targets and could provide the improvement necessary for economic feasibility of this crop. To test this hypothesis, we performed a comparative biomass, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses between a high oil accession (HO) and low oil accession (LO) of pennycress to assess potential factors required to optimize oil content. An evident reduction in glycolysis intermediates, improved oxidative pentose phosphate pathway activity, malate accumulation in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and an anaplerotic pathway upregulation were noted in the HO genotype. Additionally, higher levels of threonine aldolase transcripts imply a pyruvate bypass mechanism for acetyl-CoA production. Nucleotide sugar and ascorbate accumulation also were evident in HO, suggesting differential fate of associated carbon between the two genotypes. An altered transcriptome related to lipid droplet (LD) biosynthesis and stability suggests a contribution to a more tightly-packed LD arrangement in HO cotyledons. In addition to the importance of central carbon metabolism augmentation, alternative routes of carbon entry into fatty acid synthesis and modification, as well as transcriptionally modified changes in LD regulation, are key aspects of metabolism and storage associated with economically favorable phenotypes of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Johnston
- Department of Biological Sciences, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States
| | | | - Emmanuel Ortiz
- Department of Biological Sciences, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States
| | - Trevor B. Romsdahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States
| | - Athanas Guzha
- Department of Biological Sciences, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States
| | - Kent D. Chapman
- Department of Biological Sciences, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States
| | - Erich Grotewold
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Ana Paula Alonso
- Department of Biological Sciences, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, United States
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13
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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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14
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Liu X, Yang Z, Wang Y, Shen Y, Jia Q, Zhao C, Zhang M. Multiple caleosins have overlapping functions in oil accumulation and embryo development. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3946-3962. [PMID: 35419601 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Caleosins are lipid droplet- and endoplasmic reticulum-associated proteins. To investigate their functions in oil accumulation, expression levels of caleosins in developing seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana were examined and four seed-expressed caleosins (CLO1, CLO2, CLO4, and CLO6) were identified. The four single mutants showed similar minor changes of fatty acid composition in seeds. Two double mutants (clo1 clo2 and clo1×clo2) demonstrated distinct changes of fatty acid composition, a 16-23% decrease of oil content, and a 10-13% decrease of seed weight. Moreover, a 40% decrease of oil content, further fatty acid changes, and misshapen membranes of smaller lipid droplets were found in seeds of quadruple CLO RNAi lines. Notably, ~40% of quadruple CLO RNAi T1 seeds failed to germinate, and deformed embryos and seedlings were also observed. Complementation experiments showed that CLO1 rescued the phenotype of clo1 clo2. Overexpression of CLO1 in seedlings and BY2 cells increased triacylglycerol content up to 73.6%. Transcriptome analysis of clo1 clo2 developing seeds showed that expression levels of some genes related to lipid, embryo development, calcium signaling, and stress responses were affected. Together, these results suggest that the major seed-expressed caleosins have overlapping functions in oil accumulation and show pleiotropic effects on embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangling Liu
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | | | - Yun Wang
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | | | - Qingli Jia
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Cuizhu Zhao
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
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15
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Azeez A, Parchuri P, Bates PD. Suppression of Physaria fendleri SDP1 Increased Seed Oil and Hydroxy Fatty Acid Content While Maintaining Oil Biosynthesis Through Triacylglycerol Remodeling. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:931310. [PMID: 35720575 PMCID: PMC9204166 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.931310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Physaria fendleri is a burgeoning oilseed crop that accumulates the hydroxy fatty acid (HFA), lesquerolic acid, and can be a non-toxic alternative crop to castor for production of industrially valuable HFA. Recently, P. fendleri was proposed to utilize a unique seed oil biosynthetic pathway coined "triacylglycerol (TAG) remodeling" that utilizes a TAG lipase to remove common fatty acids from TAG allowing the subsequent incorporation of HFA after initial TAG synthesis, yet the lipase involved is unknown. SUGAR DEPENDENT 1 (SDP1) has been characterized as the dominant TAG lipase involved in TAG turnover during oilseed maturation and germination. Here, we characterized the role of a putative PfeSDP1 in both TAG turnover and TAG remodeling. In vitro assays confirmed that PfeSDP1 is a TAG lipase and demonstrated a preference for HFA-containing TAG species. Seed-specific RNAi knockdown of PfeSDP1 resulted in a 12%-16% increase in seed weight and 14%-19% increase in total seed oil content with no major effect on seedling establishment. The increase in total oil content was primarily due to ~4.7% to ~14.8% increase in TAG molecular species containing two HFA (2HFA-TAG), and when combined with a smaller decrease in 1HFA-TAG content the proportion of total HFA in seed lipids increased 4%-6%. The results are consistent with PfeSDP1 involved in TAG turnover but not TAG remodeling to produce 2HFA-TAG. Interestingly, the concomitant reduction of 1HFA-TAG in PfeSDP1 knockdown lines suggests PfeSDP1 may have a role in reverse TAG remodeling during seed maturation that produces 1HFA-TAG from 2HFA-TAG. Overall, our results provide a novel strategy to enhance the total amount of industrially valuable lesquerolic acid in P. fendleri seeds.
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16
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Song JM, Zhang Y, Zhou ZW, Lu S, Ma W, Lu C, Chen LL, Guo L. Oil plant genomes: current state of the science. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2859-2874. [PMID: 35560205 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Vegetable oils are an indispensable nutritional component of the human diet as well as important raw materials for a variety of industrial applications such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, oleochemicals, and biofuels. Oil plant genomes are highly diverse, and their genetic variation leads to a diversity in oil biosynthesis and accumulation along with agronomic traits. This review discusses plant oil biosynthetic pathways, current state of genome assembly, polyploidy and asymmetric evolution of genomes of oil plants and their wild relatives, and research progress of pan-genomics in oil plants. The availability of complete high-resolution genomes and pan-genomes has enabled the identification of structural variations in the genomes that are associated with the diversity of agronomic and environment fitness traits. These and future genomes also provide powerful tools to understand crop evolution and to harvest the rich natural variations to improve oil crops for enhanced productivity, oil quality, and adaptability to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Ming Song
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yuting Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhi-Wei Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shaoping Lu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wei Ma
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Chaofu Lu
- Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Liang Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
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17
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Lunn D, Wallis JG, Browse J. A multigene approach secures hydroxy fatty acid production in Arabidopsis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2875-2888. [PMID: 35560203 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A central goal of green chemistry is to produce industrially useful fatty acids in oilseed crops. Although genes encoding suitable fatty acid-modifying enzymes are available from more than a dozen wild species, progress has been limited because expression of these enzymes in transgenic plants produces only low yields of the desired products. For example, fatty acid hydroxylase 12 (FAH12) from castor (Ricinus communis) produces only 17% hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) when expressed in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), compared with 90% HFAs in castor seeds. The transgenic plants also have reduced oil content and seed vigor. Here, we review experiments that have provided for steady increased HFA accumulation and oil content. This research has led to exciting new discoveries of enzymes and regulatory processes in the pathways of both seed oil synthesis and lipid metabolism in other parts of the plant. Recent investigations have revealed that HFA-accumulating seeds are unable to rapidly mobilize HFA-containing triacylglycerol (TAG) storage lipid after germination to provide carbon and energy for seedling development, resulting in reduced seedling establishment. These findings present a new opportunity to investigate a different, key area of lipid metabolism-the pathways of TAG lipolysis and β-oxidation in germinating seedlings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Lunn
- Institute of Biology Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA
| | - James G Wallis
- Institute of Biology Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA
| | - John Browse
- Institute of Biology Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA
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18
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Bhandari S, Bates PD. Triacylglycerol remodeling in Physaria fendleri indicates oil accumulation is dynamic and not a metabolic endpoint. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 187:799-815. [PMID: 34608961 PMCID: PMC8491037 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Oilseed plants accumulate triacylglycerol (TAG) up to 80% of seed weight with the TAG fatty acid composition determining its nutritional value or use in the biofuel or chemical industries. Two major pathways for production of diacylglycerol (DAG), the immediate precursor to TAG, have been identified in plants: de novo DAG synthesis and conversion of the membrane lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) to DAG, with each pathway producing distinct TAG compositions. However, neither pathway fits with previous biochemical and transcriptomic results from developing Physaria fendleri seeds for accumulation of TAG containing >60% lesquerolic acid (an unusual 20 carbon hydroxylated fatty acid), which accumulates at only the sn-1 and sn-3 positions of TAG. Isotopic tracing of developing P. fendleri seed lipid metabolism identified that PC-derived DAG is utilized to initially produce TAG with only one lesquerolic acid. Subsequently a nonhydroxylated fatty acid is removed from TAG (transiently reproducing DAG) and a second lesquerolic acid is incorporated. Thus, a dynamic TAG remodeling process involving anabolic and catabolic reactions controls the final TAG fatty acid composition. Reinterpretation of P. fendleri transcriptomic data identified potential genes involved in TAG remodeling that could provide a new approach for oilseed engineering by altering oil fatty acid composition after initial TAG synthesis; and the comparison of current results to that of related Brassicaceae species in the literature suggests the possibility of TAG remodeling involved in incorporation of very long-chain fatty acids into the TAG sn-1 position in various plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajina Bhandari
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA
| | - Philip D. Bates
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA
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19
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Miray R, Kazaz S, To A, Baud S. Molecular Control of Oil Metabolism in the Endosperm of Seeds. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:1621. [PMID: 33562710 PMCID: PMC7915183 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In angiosperm seeds, the endosperm develops to varying degrees and accumulates different types of storage compounds remobilized by the seedling during early post-germinative growth. Whereas the molecular mechanisms controlling the metabolism of starch and seed-storage proteins in the endosperm of cereal grains are relatively well characterized, the regulation of oil metabolism in the endosperm of developing and germinating oilseeds has received particular attention only more recently, thanks to the emergence and continuous improvement of analytical techniques allowing the evaluation, within a spatial context, of gene activity on one side, and lipid metabolism on the other side. These studies represent a fundamental step toward the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms governing oil metabolism in this particular tissue. In particular, they highlight the importance of endosperm-specific transcriptional controls for determining original oil compositions usually observed in this tissue. In the light of this research, the biological functions of oils stored in the endosperm of seeds then appear to be more diverse than simply constituting a source of carbon made available for the germinating seedling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sébastien Baud
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000 Versailles, France; (R.M.); (S.K.); (A.T.)
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20
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Chen GQ, Kim WN, Johnson K, Park ME, Lee KR, Kim HU. Transcriptome Analysis and Identification of Lipid Genes in Physaria lindheimeri, a Genetic Resource for Hydroxy Fatty Acids in Seed Oil. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020514. [PMID: 33419225 PMCID: PMC7825617 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) have numerous industrial applications but are absent in most vegetable oils. Physaria lindheimeri accumulating 85% HFA in its seed oil makes it a valuable resource for engineering oilseed crops for HFA production. To discover lipid genes involved in HFA synthesis in P. lindheimeri, transcripts from developing seeds at various stages, as well as leaf and flower buds, were sequenced. Ninety-seven percent clean reads from 552,614,582 raw reads were assembled to 129,633 contigs (or transcripts) which represented 85,948 unique genes. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that 60% of the contigs matched proteins involved in biological process, cellular component or molecular function, while the remaining matched unknown proteins. We identified 42 P. lindheimeri genes involved in fatty acid and seed oil biosynthesis, and 39 of them shared 78-100% nucleotide identity with Arabidopsis orthologs. We manually annotated 16 key genes and 14 of them contained full-length protein sequences, indicating high coverage of clean reads to the assembled contigs. A detailed profiling of the 16 genes revealed various spatial and temporal expression patterns. The further comparison of their protein sequences uncovered amino acids conserved among HFA-producing species, but these varied among non-HFA-producing species. Our findings provide essential information for basic and applied research on HFA biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Q. Chen
- Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Albany, CA 94710, USA;
- Correspondence: (G.Q.C.); (H.U.K.)
| | - Won Nyeong Kim
- Department of Bioindustry and Bioresource Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea;
| | - Kumiko Johnson
- Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Albany, CA 94710, USA;
| | - Mid-Eum Park
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea;
| | - Kyeong-Ryeol Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54974, Korea;
| | - Hyun Uk Kim
- Department of Bioindustry and Bioresource Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea;
- Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea;
- Correspondence: (G.Q.C.); (H.U.K.)
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21
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Xu Y, Caldo KMP, Singer SD, Mietkiewska E, Greer MS, Tian B, Dyer JM, Smith M, Zhou XR, Qiu X, Weselake RJ, Chen G. Physaria fendleri and Ricinus communis lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase-like phospholipases selectively cleave hydroxy acyl chains from phosphatidylcholine. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 105:182-196. [PMID: 33107656 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Production of hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) in transgenic crops represents a promising strategy to meet our demands for specialized plant oils with industrial applications. The expression of Ricinus communis (castor) OLEATE 12-HYDROXYLASE (RcFAH12) in Arabidopsis has resulted in only limited accumulation of HFAs in seeds, which probably results from inefficient transfer of HFAs from their site of synthesis (phosphatidylcholine; PC) to triacylglycerol (TAG), especially at the sn-1/3 positions of TAG. Phospholipase As (PLAs) may be directly involved in the liberation of HFAs from PC, but the functions of their over-expression in HFA accumulation and distribution at TAG in transgenic plants have not been well studied. In this work, the functions of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase-like PLAs (LCAT-PLAs) in HFA biosynthesis were characterized. The LCAT-PLAs were shown to exhibit homology to LCAT and mammalian lysosomal PLA2 , and to contain a conserved and functional Ser/His/Asp catalytic triad. In vitro assays revealed that LCAT-PLAs from the HFA-accumulating plant species Physaria fendleri (PfLCAT-PLA) and castor (RcLCAT-PLA) could cleave acyl chains at both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of PC, and displayed substrate selectivity towards sn-2-ricinoleoyl-PC over sn-2-oleoyl-PC. Furthermore, co-expression of RcFAH12 with PfLCAT-PLA or RcLCAT-PLA, but not Arabidopsis AtLCAT-PLA, resulted in increased occupation of HFA at the sn-1/3 positions of TAG as well as small but insignificant increases in HFA levels in Arabidopsis seeds compared with RcFAH12 expression alone. Therefore, PfLCAT-PLA and RcLCAT-PLA may contribute to HFA turnover on PC, and represent potential candidates for engineering the production of unusual fatty acids in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Xu
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Kristian Mark P Caldo
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Stacy D Singer
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Elzbieta Mietkiewska
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Michael S Greer
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Bo Tian
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resource and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - John M Dyer
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, US Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, AZ, 85138, USA
| | - Mark Smith
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0X2, Canada
| | - Xue-Rong Zhou
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, PO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Xiao Qiu
- Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Randall J Weselake
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Guanqun Chen
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, 410 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada
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22
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Brejchova K, Balas L, Paluchova V, Brezinova M, Durand T, Kuda O. Understanding FAHFAs: From structure to metabolic regulation. Prog Lipid Res 2020; 79:101053. [PMID: 32735891 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2020.101053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of branched fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) in humans draw attention of many researches to their biological effects. Although FAHFAs were originally discovered in insects and plants, their introduction into the mammalian realm opened new horizons in bioactive lipid research. Hundreds of isomers from different families have been identified so far and their role in (patho) physiological processes is currently being explored. The family of palmitic acid esters of hydroxy stearic acids (PAHSAs), especially 5-PAHSA and 9-PAHSA regioisomers, stands out in the crowd of other FAHFAs for their anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects. Beneficial effects of PAHSAs have been linked to metabolic disorders such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes, colitis, and chronic inflammation. Besides PAHSAs, a growing family of polyunsaturated FAHFAs exerts mainly immunomodulatory effects and biological roles of many other FAHFAs remain currently unknown. Therefore, FAHFAs represent unique lipid messengers capable of affecting many immunometabolic processes. The objective of this review is to summarize the knowledge concerning the diversity of FAHFAs, nomenclature, and their analysis and detection. Special attention is paid to the total syntheses of FAHFAs, optimal strategies, and to the formation of the stereocenter required for optically active molecules. Biosynthetic pathways of saturated and polyunsaturated FAHFAs in mammals and plants are reviewed together with their metabolism and degradation. Moreover, an overview of biological effects of branched FAHFAs is provided and many unanswered questions regarding FAHFAs are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyna Brejchova
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Laurence Balas
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, CNRS, Université Montpellier, ENSCM, Faculté de Pharmacie, Montpellier, France
| | - Veronika Paluchova
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Brezinova
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thierry Durand
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, CNRS, Université Montpellier, ENSCM, Faculté de Pharmacie, Montpellier, France
| | - Ondrej Kuda
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic.
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23
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Lin Y, Chen G, Mietkiewska E, Song Z, Caldo KMP, Singer SD, Dyer J, Smith M, McKeon T, Weselake RJ. Castor patatin-like phospholipase A IIIβ facilitates removal of hydroxy fatty acids from phosphatidylcholine in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 101:521-536. [PMID: 31549344 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-019-00915-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Castor patatin-like phospholipase A IIIβ facilitates the exclusion of hydroxy fatty acids from phosphatidylcholine in developing transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. Hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) are industrial useful, but their major natural source castor contains toxic components. Although expressing a castor OLEATE 12-HYDROXYLASE in Arabidopsis thaliana leads to the synthesis of HFAs in seeds, a high proportion of the HFAs are retained in phosphatidylcholine (PC). Thus, the liberation of HFA from PC seems to be critical for obtaining HFA-enriched seed oils. Plant phospholipase A (PLA) catalyzes the hydrolysis of PC to release fatty acyl chains that can be subsequently channeled into triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis or other metabolic pathways. To further our knowledge regarding the function of PLAs from HFA-producing plant species, two class III patatin-like PLA cDNAs (pPLAIIIβ or pPLAIIIδ) from castor or Physaria fendleri were overexpressed in a transgenic line of A. thaliana producing C18-HFA, respectively. Only the overexpression of RcpPLAIIIβ resulted in a significant reduction in seed HFA content with concomitant changes in fatty acid composition. Reductions in HFA content occurred in both PC and TAG indicating that HFAs released from PC were not incorporated into TAG. These results suggest that RcpPLAIIIβ may catalyze the removal of HFAs from PC in the developing seeds synthesizing these unusual fatty acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingyu Lin
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Guanqun Chen
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada.
| | - Elzbieta Mietkiewska
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
- Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF), 410 Downey Road, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 4N1, Canada
| | - Ziliang Song
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Kristian Mark P Caldo
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Stacy D Singer
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, AB, T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - John Dyer
- USDA-ARS, Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, 21881 North Cardon Lane, Maricopa, AZ, 85138, USA
| | - Mark Smith
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research Centre, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0X2, Canada
| | - Thomas McKeon
- USDA-ARS, Western Regional Research Center, 800 Buchanan St, Albany, CA, 94710, USA
| | - Randall J Weselake
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada.
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24
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Tian B, Lu T, Xu Y, Wang R, Chen G. Identification of genes associated with ricinoleic acid accumulation in Hiptage benghalensis via transcriptome analysis. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2019; 12:16. [PMID: 30679955 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1358-1352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ricinoleic acid is a high-value hydroxy fatty acid with broad industrial applications. Hiptage benghalensis seed oil contains a high amount of ricinoleic acid (~ 80%) and represents an emerging source of this unusual fatty acid. However, the mechanism of ricinoleic acid accumulation in H. benghalensis is yet to be explored at the molecular level, which hampers the exploration of its potential in ricinoleic acid production. RESULTS To explore the molecular mechanism of ricinoleic acid biosynthesis and regulation, H. benghalensis seeds were harvested at five developing stages (13, 16, 19, 22, and 25 days after pollination) for lipid analysis. The results revealed that the rapid accumulation of ricinoleic acid occurred at the early-mid-seed development stages (16-22 days after pollination). Subsequently, the gene transcription profiles of the developing seeds were characterized via a comprehensive transcriptome analysis with second-generation sequencing and single-molecule real-time sequencing. Differential expression patterns were identified in 12,555 transcripts, including 71 enzymes in lipid metabolic pathways, 246 putative transcription factors (TFs) and 124 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Twelve genes involved in diverse lipid metabolism pathways, including fatty acid biosynthesis and modification (hydroxylation), lipid traffic, triacylglycerol assembly, acyl editing and oil-body formation, displayed high expression levels and consistent expression patterns with ricinoleic acid accumulation in the developing seeds, suggesting their primary roles in ricinoleic acid production. Subsequent co-expression network analysis identified 57 TFs and 35 lncRNAs, which are putatively involved in the regulation of ricinoleic acid biosynthesis. The transcriptome data were further validated by analyzing the expression profiles of key enzyme-encoding genes, TFs and lncRNAs with quantitative real-time PCR. Finally, a network of genes associated with ricinoleic acid accumulation in H. benghalensis was established. CONCLUSIONS This study was the first step toward the understating of the molecular mechanisms of ricinoleic acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation in H. benghalensis seeds and identified a pool of novel genes regulating ricinoleic acid accumulation. The results set a foundation for developing H. benghalensis into a novel ricinoleic acid feedstock at the transcriptomic level and provided valuable candidate genes for improving ricinoleic acid production in other plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Tian
- 1Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resource and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223 China
| | - Tianquan Lu
- 1Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resource and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223 China
| | - Yang Xu
- 2Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5 Canada
| | - Ruling Wang
- 1Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resource and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223 China
| | - Guanqun Chen
- 2Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5 Canada
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Tian B, Lu T, Xu Y, Wang R, Chen G. Identification of genes associated with ricinoleic acid accumulation in Hiptage benghalensis via transcriptome analysis. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2019; 12:16. [PMID: 30679955 PMCID: PMC6340187 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1358-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ricinoleic acid is a high-value hydroxy fatty acid with broad industrial applications. Hiptage benghalensis seed oil contains a high amount of ricinoleic acid (~ 80%) and represents an emerging source of this unusual fatty acid. However, the mechanism of ricinoleic acid accumulation in H. benghalensis is yet to be explored at the molecular level, which hampers the exploration of its potential in ricinoleic acid production. RESULTS To explore the molecular mechanism of ricinoleic acid biosynthesis and regulation, H. benghalensis seeds were harvested at five developing stages (13, 16, 19, 22, and 25 days after pollination) for lipid analysis. The results revealed that the rapid accumulation of ricinoleic acid occurred at the early-mid-seed development stages (16-22 days after pollination). Subsequently, the gene transcription profiles of the developing seeds were characterized via a comprehensive transcriptome analysis with second-generation sequencing and single-molecule real-time sequencing. Differential expression patterns were identified in 12,555 transcripts, including 71 enzymes in lipid metabolic pathways, 246 putative transcription factors (TFs) and 124 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Twelve genes involved in diverse lipid metabolism pathways, including fatty acid biosynthesis and modification (hydroxylation), lipid traffic, triacylglycerol assembly, acyl editing and oil-body formation, displayed high expression levels and consistent expression patterns with ricinoleic acid accumulation in the developing seeds, suggesting their primary roles in ricinoleic acid production. Subsequent co-expression network analysis identified 57 TFs and 35 lncRNAs, which are putatively involved in the regulation of ricinoleic acid biosynthesis. The transcriptome data were further validated by analyzing the expression profiles of key enzyme-encoding genes, TFs and lncRNAs with quantitative real-time PCR. Finally, a network of genes associated with ricinoleic acid accumulation in H. benghalensis was established. CONCLUSIONS This study was the first step toward the understating of the molecular mechanisms of ricinoleic acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation in H. benghalensis seeds and identified a pool of novel genes regulating ricinoleic acid accumulation. The results set a foundation for developing H. benghalensis into a novel ricinoleic acid feedstock at the transcriptomic level and provided valuable candidate genes for improving ricinoleic acid production in other plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Tian
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resource and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223 China
| | - Tianquan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resource and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223 China
| | - Yang Xu
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5 Canada
| | - Ruling Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resource and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223 China
| | - Guanqun Chen
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5 Canada
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Ohlrogge J, Thrower N, Mhaske V, Stymne S, Baxter M, Yang W, Liu J, Shaw K, Shorrosh B, Zhang M, Wilkerson C, Matthäus B. PlantFAdb: a resource for exploring hundreds of plant fatty acid structures synthesized by thousands of plants and their phylogenetic relationships. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 96:1299-1308. [PMID: 30242919 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Over 450 structurally distinct fatty acids are synthesized by plants. We have developed PlantFAdb.org, an internet-based database that allows users to search and display fatty acid composition data for over 9000 plants. PlantFAdb includes more than 17 000 data tables from >3000 publications and hundreds of unpublished analyses. This unique feature allows users to easily explore chemotaxonomic relationships between fatty acid structures and plant species by displaying these relationships on dynamic phylogenetic trees. Users can navigate between order, family, genus and species by clicking on nodes in the tree. The weight percentage of a selected fatty acid is indicated on phylogenetic trees and clicking in the graph leads to underlying data tables and publications. The display of chemotaxonomy allows users to quickly explore the diversity of plant species that produce each fatty acid and that can provide insights into the evolution of biosynthetic pathways. Fatty acid compositions and other parameters from each plant species have also been compiled from multiple publications on a single page in graphical form. Links provide simple and intuitive navigation between fatty acid structures, plant species, data tables and the publications that underlie the datasets. In addition to providing an introduction to this resource, this report illustrates examples of insights that can be derived from PlantFAdb. Based on the number of plant families and orders that have not yet been surveyed we estimate that a large number of novel fatty acid structures are still to be discovered in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Ohlrogge
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Nick Thrower
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Sten Stymne
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Melissa Baxter
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Weili Yang
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Jinjie Liu
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Kathleen Shaw
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Meng Zhang
- Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, China
| | - Curtis Wilkerson
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Bertrand Matthäus
- Department of Safety and Quality of Cereals, Working Group for Lipid Research, Max Rubner-Institut, Detmold, Germany
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Abstract
Studying seed oil metabolism. The seeds of higher plants represent valuable factories capable of converting photosynthetically derived sugars into a variety of storage compounds, including oils. Oils are the most energy-dense plant reserves and fatty acids composing these oils represent an excellent nutritional source. They supply humans with much of the calories and essential fatty acids required in their diet. These oils are then increasingly being utilized as renewable alternatives to petroleum for the chemical industry and for biofuels. Plant oils therefore represent a highly valuable agricultural commodity, the demand for which is increasing rapidly. Knowledge regarding seed oil production is extensively exploited in the frame of breeding programs and approaches of metabolic engineering for oilseed crop improvement. Complementary aspects of this research include (1) the study of carbon metabolism responsible for the conversion of photosynthetically derived sugars into precursors for fatty acid biosynthesis, (2) the identification and characterization of the enzymatic actors allowing the production of the wide set of fatty acid structures found in seed oils, and (3) the investigation of the complex biosynthetic pathways leading to the production of storage lipids (waxes, triacylglycerols). In this review, we outline the most recent developments in our understanding of the underlying biochemical and molecular mechanisms of seed oil production, focusing on fatty acids and oils that can have a significant impact on the emerging bioeconomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Baud
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, RD10, 78026, Versailles Cedex, France.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sten Stymne
- Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden.
| | - John Ohlrogge
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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Yu X, Cahoon RE, Horn PJ, Shi H, Prakash RR, Cai Y, Hearney M, Chapman KD, Cahoon EB, Schwender J, Shanklin J. Identification of bottlenecks in the accumulation of cyclic fatty acids in camelina seed oil. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2018; 16:926-938. [PMID: 28929610 PMCID: PMC5866947 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Modified fatty acids (mFA) have diverse uses; for example, cyclopropane fatty acids (CPA) are feedstocks for producing coatings, lubricants, plastics and cosmetics. The expression of mFA-producing enzymes in crop and model plants generally results in lower levels of mFA accumulation than in their natural-occurring source plants. Thus, to further our understanding of metabolic bottlenecks that limit mFA accumulation, we generated transgenic Camelina sativa lines co-expressing Escherichia coli cyclopropane synthase (EcCPS) and Sterculia foetida lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (SfLPAT). In contrast to transgenic CPA-accumulating Arabidopsis, CPA accumulation in camelina caused only minor changes in seed weight, germination rate, oil accumulation and seedling development. CPA accumulated to much higher levels in membrane than storage lipids, comprising more than 60% of total fatty acid in both phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) versus 26% in diacylglycerol (DAG) and 12% in triacylglycerol (TAG) indicating bottlenecks in the transfer of CPA from PC to DAG and from DAG to TAG. Upon co-expression of SfLPAT with EcCPS, di-CPA-PC increased by ~50% relative to lines expressing EcCPS alone with the di-CPA-PC primarily observed in the embryonic axis and mono-CPA-PC primarily in cotyledon tissue. EcCPS-SfLPAT lines revealed a redistribution of CPA from the sn-1 to sn-2 positions within PC and PE that was associated with a doubling of CPA accumulation in both DAG and TAG. The identification of metabolic bottlenecks in acyl transfer between site of synthesis (phospholipids) and deposition in storage oils (TAGs) lays the foundation for the optimizing CPA accumulation through directed engineering of oil synthesis in target crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao‐Hong Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNYUSA
| | - Rebecca E. Cahoon
- Center for Plant Science InnovationDepartment of BiochemistryUniversity of Nebraska‐LincolnLincolnNEUSA
| | - Patrick J. Horn
- Department of Biological SciencesBioDiscovery InstituteUniversity of North TexasDentonTXUSA
- Present address:
DOE‐Plant Research LaboratoryMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
| | - Hai Shi
- Biology DepartmentBrookhaven National LaboratoryUptonNYUSA
| | - Richa R. Prakash
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNYUSA
- Present address:
Department of Natural SciencesSuffolk County Community CollegeBrentwoodNYUSA
| | - Yuanheng Cai
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNYUSA
| | - Maegan Hearney
- Biology DepartmentBrookhaven National LaboratoryUptonNYUSA
| | - Kent D. Chapman
- Department of Biological SciencesBioDiscovery InstituteUniversity of North TexasDentonTXUSA
| | - Edgar B. Cahoon
- Center for Plant Science InnovationDepartment of BiochemistryUniversity of Nebraska‐LincolnLincolnNEUSA
| | - Jorg Schwender
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNYUSA
- Biology DepartmentBrookhaven National LaboratoryUptonNYUSA
| | - John Shanklin
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyStony Brook UniversityStony BrookNYUSA
- Biology DepartmentBrookhaven National LaboratoryUptonNYUSA
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Bioactivity and biotechnological production of punicic acid. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:3537-3549. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8883-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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de Abreu E Lima F, Li K, Wen W, Yan J, Nikoloski Z, Willmitzer L, Brotman Y. Unraveling lipid metabolism in maize with time-resolved multi-omics data. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 93:1102-1115. [PMID: 29385634 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Maize is the cereal crop with the highest production worldwide, and its oil is a key energy resource. Improving the quantity and quality of maize oil requires a better understanding of lipid metabolism. To predict the function of maize genes involved in lipid biosynthesis, we assembled transcriptomic and lipidomic data sets from leaves of B73 and the high-oil line By804 in two distinct time-series experiments. The integrative analysis based on high-dimensional regularized regression yielded lipid-transcript associations indirectly validated by Gene Ontology and promoter motif enrichment analyses. The co-localization of lipid-transcript associations using the genetic mapping of lipid traits in leaves and seedlings of a B73 × By804 recombinant inbred line population uncovered 323 genes involved in the metabolism of phospholipids, galactolipids, sulfolipids and glycerolipids. The resulting association network further supported the involvement of 50 gene candidates in modulating levels of representatives from multiple acyl-lipid classes. Therefore, the proposed approach provides high-confidence candidates for experimental testing in maize and model plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kun Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shizishan Lu 1, 430070, Hongshan, Wuhan, China
| | - Weiwei Wen
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jianbing Yan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Shizishan Lu 1, 430070, Hongshan, Wuhan, China
| | - Zoran Nikoloski
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
- Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Lothar Willmitzer
- Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Yariv Brotman
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel
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Aryal N, Lu C. A Phospholipase C-Like Protein From Ricinus communis Increases Hydroxy Fatty Acids Accumulation in Transgenic Seeds of Camelina sativa. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1576. [PMID: 30443260 PMCID: PMC6221933 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
There have been strong interests in producing unusual fatty acids in oilseed crops to provide renewable industrial feedstock. Results are so far largely disappointing since much lower amounts of such fatty acids accumulate in genetically engineered seeds than in their original natural sources. It has been suggested that the flux of unusual fatty acids through phosphatidylcholine (PC) represents a major bottleneck for high accumulation of such fatty acids in triacylglycerol (TAG). We show here that a phospholipase C-like protein (RcPLCL1) from castor bean, which accumulates nearly 90% of the hydroxylated ricinoleic acid in its seed TAG, increases the amount of hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) when co-expresses with the fatty acid hydroxylase (RcFAH12) in transgenic seed of Camelina sativa. RcPLCL1 shows hydrolyzing activities on both PC and phosphatidylinositol substrates in our in vitro assay conditions. The PC-PLC activity of the RcPLCL1 may have increased the efficiency of HFA-PC to diacylglycerol conversion, which explains our observation of increased HFA contents in TAG concomitant with decreased HFA in the membrane lipid PC during seed development. Consequently, this may also alleviate the potential detrimental effect of HFA on germination of the engineered camelina seeds. Our results provide new knowledge that will help design effective strategies to engineer high levels of HFAs in transgenic oilseeds.
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Aznar-Moreno JA, Durrett TP. Review: Metabolic engineering of unusual lipids in the synthetic biology era. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2017; 263:126-131. [PMID: 28818368 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The plant kingdom produces a variety of fatty acid structures, many of which possess functional groups useful for industrial applications. The species that produce these unusual fatty acids are often not suitable for large scale commercial production. The ability to create genetically modified plants, together with emerging synthetic biology approaches, offers the potential to develop alternative oil seed crops capable of producing high levels of modified lipids. In some cases, by combining genes from different species, non-natural lipids with a targeted structure can be conceived. However, the expression of the biosynthetic enzymes responsible for the synthesis of unusual fatty acids typically results in poor accumulation of the desired product. An improved understanding of fatty acid flux from synthesis to storage revealed that specialized enzymes are needed to traffic unusual fatty acids. Co-expression of some of these additional enzymes has incrementally increased the levels of unusual fatty acids in transgenic seeds. Understanding how the introduced pathways interact with the endogenous pathways will be important for further enhancing the levels of unusual fatty acids in transgenic plants. Eliminating endogenous activities, as well as segregating the different pathways, represent strategies to further increase accumulation of unusual lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose A Aznar-Moreno
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Timothy P Durrett
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.
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Abstract
Lipids and oils derived from plant and algal photosynthesis constitute much of human daily caloric intake and provide the basis for high-energy bioproducts, chemical feedstocks for countless applications, and even fossil fuels over geological time scales. Sustainable production of high-energy compounds from plants is essential to preserving fossil fuel sources and ensuring the well-being of future generations. As a result of progress in basic research on plant and algal lipid metabolism, in combination with advances in synthetic biology, we can now tailor plant lipids for desirable biological, physical, and chemical properties. We highlight recent advances in plant lipid translational biology and discuss untapped areas of research that might expand the application of plant lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Horn
- Michigan State University-U.S. Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Christoph Benning
- Michigan State University-U.S. Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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