Functional identification of ELO-like genes involved in very long chain fatty acid synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are essential lipid components in many plants. 3 Ketoacyl CoA synthase (KCS) catalyzes the condensation reaction to form 3 ketoacyl CoA in VLCFA synthesis. AtELO4 has been reported to be involved in VLCFA synthesis, functioning as a KCS in Arabidopsis. However, no stud ies on other three AtELO members have been reported. Here, we initially found by real time PCR in Arabi dopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. that AtELO1, AtELO3, and AtELO4 displayed characteristic expression patterns, but AtELO2 was nearly expressed in any organ. Then the transient expression of ELO like eGFP fusions in Arabidopsis green leaf protoplasts showed that AtELO1, AtELO3, and AtELO4 were localized in the endo plasmic reticulum (ER), where VLCFA synthesis took place. Finally, we found that the contents of all fatty acids were decreased by 10-20% in seeds of atelo1 T DNA insertion mutants. In seeds of Pro35S:AtELO1 plants, the levels of all remaining components, except C20:0 and C20:3, were significantly increased. Taken together, our study revealed biological functions of AtELO members and might lay the foundation for further genetic manipulations to generate oil crops with the high oil content.

Drought stress triggers proteomic changes involving lignin, flavonoids and fatty acids in tea plants

“…3-Ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) catalyses a condensation reaction to form 3-ketoacyl-CoA during very long-chain fatty acid synthesis 52 . A previous study showed that the phenotypic changes of kcs1-1 mutants included relatively thin stems and reduced resistance to low-humidity stress at a young age 56 .…”

“…They are widely distributed on the cell surface to prevent moisture and heat loss and are closely related to cell recognition specificity and tissue immunity. However, relatively little is known about long-chain fatty acid amides: most of the well-defined physiological functions, the metabolism underlying their biosynthesis, their degradation, and their cellular transport remain elusive [50][51][52] . In this study, we focused on the accumulation of essential enzymes related to the biosynthesis of lignin, flavonoids and fatty acids in tea plants in response to drought stress at the protein level.…”

Modifying the yeast very long chain fatty acid biosynthetic machinery by the expression of plant 3-ketoacyl CoA synthase isozymes

“…In particular, two distinct enzymes catalyze the Claisen condensation reaction of the FAE cycle, the KCS-type enzymes that occur uniquely in plants, and the ELO-type enzymes that are phylogenetically more widely distributed 17 . Moreover, plant genomes contain a large number of ELO genes and even larger number of KCS genes 17 , 18 , 25 – 27 . Although this appears to be a characteristic widely dispersed among plant phyla, it is not as prevalent among the other components of the FAE system.…”

Modifying the yeast very long chain fatty acid biosynthetic machinery by the expression of plant 3-ketoacyl CoA synthase isozymes

“…In particular, two distinct enzymes catalyze the Claisen condensation reaction of the FAE cycle, the KCS-type enzymes that occur uniquely in plants, and the ELO-type enzymes that are phylogenetically more widely distributed 18 . Moreover, plant genomes contain a large number of ELO genes and even larger number of KCS genes 18,[32][33][34][35] . Although this appears to be a characteristic widely dispersed among plant phyla, it is not as prevalent among the other components of the FAE system.…”