Enzymes of glycerol-3-phosphate pathway in triacylglycerol synthesis in plants: Function, biotechnological application and evolution

Publication date: Available online 4 December 2018Source: Progress in Lipid ResearchAuthor(s): Felipe dos Santos Maraschin, Franceli Rodrigues Kulcheski, Ana Lucia Anversa Segatto, Thomaz Stumpf Trenz, Ossman Barrientos-Diaz, Marcia Margis-Pinheiro, Rogerio Margis, Andreia Carina Turchetto-ZoletAbstractTriacylglycerols (TAG) are the major form of energy storage in plants. TAG are primarily stored in seeds and fruits, but vegetative tissues also possess a high capacity for their synthesis and storage. These storage lipids are essential to plant development, being used in seedling growth during germination, pollen development, and sexual reproduction, for example. TAG are also an important source of edible oils for animal and human consumption, and are used for fuel and industrial feedstocks. The canonical pathway leading to TAG synthesis is the glycerol-3-phosphate, or Kennedy, pathway, which is an evolutionarily conserved process in most living organisms. The enzymatic machinery for synthesizing TAG is well known in several plant species, and the genes encoding these enzymes have been the focus of many studies. Here, we review recent progress on the understanding of evolutionary, functional and biotechnological aspects of the glycerol-3-phosphate pathway enzymes that produce TAG. We discuss current knowledge about their functional aspects, and summarize valuable insights into genetically engineered plants for enhancing TAG accumulation. Also, we highlight the evolutionary his...
Source: Progress in Lipid Research - Category: Lipidology Source Type: research