The glossyhead1 allele of ACC1 reveals a principal role for multidomain acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase in the biosynthesis of cuticular waxes by Arabidopsis

Plant Physiol. 2011 Nov;157(3):1079-92. doi: 10.1104/pp.111.185132. Epub 2011 Sep 23.

Abstract

A novel mutant of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), having highly glossy inflorescence stems, postgenital fusion in floral organs, and reduced fertility, was isolated from an ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized population and designated glossyhead1 (gsd1). The gsd1 locus was mapped to chromosome 1, and the causal gene was identified as a new allele of Acetyl-Coenzyme A Carboxylase1 (ACC1), a gene encoding the main enzyme in cytosolic malonyl-coenzyme A synthesis. This, to our knowledge, is the first mutant allele of ACC1 that does not cause lethality at the seed or early germination stage, allowing for the first time a detailed analysis of ACC1 function in mature tissues. Broad lipid profiling of mature gsd1 organs revealed a primary role for ACC1 in the biosynthesis of the very-long-chain fatty acids (C(20:0) or longer) associated with cuticular waxes and triacylglycerols. Unexpectedly, transcriptome analysis revealed that gsd1 has limited impact on any lipid metabolic networks but instead has a large effect on environmental stress-responsive pathways, especially senescence and ethylene synthesis determinants, indicating a possible role for the cytosolic malonyl-coenzyme A-derived lipids in stress response signaling.

MeSH terms

  • Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / chemistry*
  • Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / genetics
  • Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / metabolism*
  • Alleles*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Arabidopsis / enzymology*
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / chemistry*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • DNA, Plant / genetics
  • Fatty Acids / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Genetic Complementation Test
  • Lipids
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Organ Specificity / genetics
  • Permeability
  • Plant Epidermis / enzymology*
  • Plant Epidermis / metabolism
  • Plant Epidermis / ultrastructure
  • Plant Roots / metabolism
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Seeds / metabolism
  • Transcriptome / genetics
  • Waxes / metabolism*

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • DNA, Plant
  • Fatty Acids
  • Lipids
  • Waxes
  • suberin
  • Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase