Interaction of DGAT1 and PDAT1 to enhance TAG assembly in Arabidopsis

Plant Signal Behav. 2019;14(1):1554467. doi: 10.1080/15592324.2018.1554467. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Abstract

Seeds contain a large quantity of oils, which are mainly constituted of triacylglycerol (TAG), a fundamental source of carbon and energy. TAG biosynthesis is catalyzed by a series of multiple enzymes. In particular, two key enzymes catalyzing the last acylation step for TAG production, acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) and phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (PDAT1), are rate-limiting enzymes that determine TAG accumulation in Arabidopsis seeds. We recently showed that the two enzymes are transcriptionally coordinated by the R2R3-type MYB96 transcription factor to promote TAG assembly during seed maturation in Arabidopsis. Here, we further found that DGAT1 and PDAT1 physically associate, possibly to enhance the efficiency of TAG production. Overall, our findings suggest that TAG biosynthesis is intricately regulated at multiple levels, and these molecular strategies can potentially be used for metabolic engineering in plants.

Keywords: Arabidopsis; DGAT1; MYB96; PDAT1; TAG.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acyltransferases / genetics
  • Acyltransferases / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis / metabolism*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism*
  • Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase / genetics
  • Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / physiology
  • Metabolic Engineering
  • Triglycerides / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Triglycerides
  • Acyltransferases
  • PDAT1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • DGAT1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research [NRF-2016R1D1A1B03931139] and Basic Research Laboratory [NRF-2017R1A4A1015620] programs provided by the National Research Foundation of Korea and by the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program [PJ01319304] provided by the Rural Development Administration.