Disruption of the Arabidopsis CGI-58 homologue produces Chanarin-Dorfman-like lipid droplet accumulation in plants.
CGI-58 is the defective gene in the human neutral lipid storage disease called Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome. This disorder causes intracellular lipid droplets to accumulate in nonadipose tissues, such as skin and blood cells. Here, disruption of the homologous CGI-58 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in the accumulation of neutral lipid droplets in mature leaves. Mass spectroscopy of isolated lipid droplets from cgi-58 loss-of-function mutants showed they contain triacylglycerols with common leaf-specific fatty acids. Leaves of mature cgi-58 plants exhibited a marked increase in absolute triacylglycerol levels, more than 10-fold higher than in wild-type plants. Lipid levels in the oil-storing seeds of cgi-58 loss-of-function plants were unchanged, and unlike mutations in β-oxidation, the cgi-58 seeds germinated and grew normally, requiring no rescue with sucrose. We conclude that the participation of CGI-58 in neutral lipid homeostasis of nonfat-storing tissues is similar, although not identical, between plant and animal species. This unique insight may have implications for designing a new generation of technologies that enhance the neutral lipid content and composition of crop plants.
James
Christopher N
CN
Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Plant Lipid Research, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA.
Horn
Patrick J
PJ
Case
Charlene R
CR
Gidda
Satinder K
SK
Zhang
Daiyuan
D
Mullen
Robert T
RT
Dyer
John M
JM
Anderson
Richard G W
RG
Chapman
Kent D
KD
D051103:1-Acylglycerol-3-Phosphate O-Acyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000367:Age Factors; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000032:analysis
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D051103:1-Acylglycerol-3-Phosphate O-Acyltransferase; C439972:ABHD5 protein, human