title: Fatty acid phytyl ester synthesis in chloroplasts of Arabidopsis.
abstract: During stress or senescence, thylakoid membranes in chloroplasts are disintegrated, and chlorophyll and galactolipid are broken down, resulting in the accumulation of toxic intermediates, i.e., tetrapyrroles, free phytol, and free fatty acids. Chlorophyll degradation has been studied in detail, but the catabolic pathways for phytol and fatty acids remain unclear. A large proportion of phytol and fatty acids is converted into fatty acid phytyl esters and triacylglycerol during stress or senescence in chloroplasts. We isolated two genes (PHYTYL ESTER SYNTHASE1 [PES1] and PES2) of the esterase/lipase/thioesterase family of acyltransferases from Arabidopsis thaliana that are involved in fatty acid phytyl ester synthesis in chloroplasts. The two proteins are highly expressed during senescence and nitrogen deprivation. Heterologous expression in yeast revealed that PES1 and PES2 have phytyl ester synthesis and diacylglycerol acyltransferase activities. The enzymes show broad substrate specificities and can employ acyl-CoAs, acyl carrier proteins, and galactolipids as acyl donors. Double mutant plants (pes1 pes2) grow normally but show reduced phytyl ester and triacylglycerol accumulation. These results demonstrate that PES1 and PES2 are involved in the deposition of free phytol and free fatty acids in the form of phytyl esters in chloroplasts, a process involved in maintaining the integrity of the photosynthetic membrane during abiotic stress and senescence.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bon, 53115 Bon, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lippold
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: vom Dorp
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hölzl
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wewer
authors.forename: Jenny Lindberg
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Ida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lager
authors.forename: Cyrille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montandon
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Besagni
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Sten
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stymne
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dörmann
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004952:Esters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D004952:Esters; D005227:Fatty Acids