The content and fatty acid (FA) composition of FA neutral acylglycerols (NAG), a mixture of 1,2,3‐triacyl‐sn‐glycerols (TAG) and 3‐acetyl‐1,2‐diacyl‐sn‐glycerols (acDAG), were determined in the seeds and arils of fruits of 14 Euonymus L. species. On the average, the seeds exceeded the arils in the absolute and relative dry matter content 2.9‐ and 1.9‐fold, respectively, and separate plant species greatly differed in NAG composition. The proportions of TAG in the NAG of seeds and arils were 4–5 and ~98 %, respectively. The degree of FA unsaturation in aril NAG was higher than in the seed NAG, and in acDAG—higher, than in TAG. In the NAG, 14 major FA molecular species (excluding minor FA) were found, and linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and linolenic acids were predominant. NAG of separate taxonomic units of the genus Euonymus L. differed from each other in the concentration of major FA as well as other FA. So, by using statistical analysis, it was definitely established that the species from the subgenus Euonymus were characterized by an increased content of linoleic acid, while those from the subgenus Kalonymus, by the predominance of oleic acid. Meanwhile, the species of the section Euonymus were marked by an enhanced concentration of a number of hexa‐ and octadecenoic FA positional isomers.

Positional‐species composition (PSC) of 1,2,3‐triacyl‐sn‐glycerols (TAG) from the arils of mature fruits of 13 species of Euonymus L. genus was established. The residues of six major fatty acids (FA), palmitic, stearic, hexadecenoic (H), octadecenoic (O), linoleic (L), and linolenic, were present in the TAG. PSC of TAG was determined by their partial lipase hydrolysis. By using hierarchical cluster and principal component analyses, it was definitely demonstrated that separate taxonomic units forming this genus were significantly distinguished as regards PSC of TAG. In particular, the Euonymus subgenus greatly exceeded the Kalonymus subgenus in both total content of L in TAG and in the rate of its incorporation into their mid‐position, while TAG of Kalonymus were marked by a prevalence of O‐TAG and sn‐2‐O isomers. Thus, these subgenera were significantly distinct in the rate of incorporation of O and L residues in the sn‐2 position of TAG molecules. Meanwhile, the TAG from the Euonymus section species were marked by an enhanced concentration of H and the incorporation of H in UUU TAG was much more active than in other TAG types. As for positional‐type composition of TAG, saturated FA were always virtually absent in the sn‐2 position of Euonymus aril TAG.

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We report the expression profile of acyl-lipid Delta12-desaturase (desA) gene from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and its effect on cell membrane lipid composition and cold tolerance in prokaryotic (Escherichia coli) and eukaryotic (Solanum tuberosum) cells. For this purpose, a hybrid of desA and reporter gene encoding thermostable lichenase (licBM3) was constructed and used to transform these cells. The expression of this hybrid gene was measured using qualitative (Petri dish test, electrophoregram and zymogram) and quantitative methods (spectrometry and gas liquid chromatography assays). The maximum level of linoleic acid in the bacterial cells containing hybrid gene was 1.9% of total fatty acids. Cold stress tolerance assays using plant damage index and growth parameters showed that cold tolerance was enhanced in primary transgenic lines because of increased unsaturated fatty acid concentration in their lipids. The greatest content of 18:2 and 18:3 fatty acids in primary transgenic plants was observed for lines 2 (73%) and 3 (41%). Finally, our results showed that desaturase could enhance tolerance to cold stress in potato, and desaturase and lichenase retain their functionality in the structure of the hybrid protein where the enzymatic activity of target gene product was higher than in the case of reporter lichenase gene absence in the construction.

The positional-species composition (PSC) of 3-acetyl-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols (AcDAGs) from the seeds of mature fruits of 14 species of the genus Euonymus L. was established. The residues of six major fatty acids (FAs), palmitic (P), stearic (St), hexadecenoic (H), octadecenoic (O), linoleic (L), and linolenic (Ln), were present in the AcDAGs. Here, we demonstrated that the profile of PSC of AcDAGs could serve as chemotaxonomic factor to divide euonymus species studied here into groups which completely correlate with the present day systematic of the genus. In particular, the Euonymus section greatly exceeded other sections of the Euonymus subgenus as well as the Kalonymus one in the total levels of AcDAGs positional species having one and two O residues and was characterized by significantly lesser concentrations of species with one and two L residues. Moreover, in seed, AcDAGs of almost all Euonymus species EFL values were slightly higher than EFO ones, but all EFL and EFO values were higher than 1.0, and therefore, it can be concluded that both FAs mainly esterified sn-2-position of the glycerol moiety and saturated FAs residues were always virtually absent in the sn-2 position of Euonymus seed AcDAGs, as it is also the case in nearly all TAGs molecules of plant origin.