title: WRINKLED transcription factors orchestrate tissue-specific regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.
abstract: Acyl lipids are essential constituents of all cells, but acyl chain requirements vary greatly and depend on the cell type considered. This implies a tight regulation of fatty acid production so that supply fits demand. Isolation of the Arabidopsis thaliana WRINKLED1 (WRI1) transcription factor established the importance of transcriptional regulation for modulating the rate of acyl chain production. Here, we report the isolation of two additional regulators of the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway, WRI3 and WRI4, which are closely related to WRI1 and belong to the APETALA2-ethylene-responsive element binding protein family of transcription factors. These three WRIs define a family of regulators capable of triggering sustained rates of acyl chain synthesis. However, expression patterns of the three WRIs differ markedly. Whereas only WRI1 activates fatty acid biosynthesis in seeds for triacylglycerol production, the three WRIs are required in floral tissues to provide acyl chains for cutin biosynthesis and prevent adherence of these developing organs and subsequent semisterility. The targets of these WRIs encode enzymes providing precursors (acyl chain and glycerol backbones) for various lipid biosynthetic pathways, but not the subsequent lipid-assembling enzymes. These results provide insights into the developmental regulation of fatty acid production in plants.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1318, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Saclay Plant Sciences, F-78000 Versailles, France.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: To
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Joubès
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barthole
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lécureuil
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scagnelli
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jasinski
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lepiniec
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baud
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014280:Triglycerides; C495665:WRINKLED1 protein, Arabidopsis; C000521:cutin