Plastids with or without galactoglycerolipids.
In structural, functional, and evolutionary terms, galactoglycerolipids are signature lipids of chloroplasts. Their presence in nongreen plastids has been demonstrated in angiosperms and diatoms. Thus, galactoglycerolipids are considered as a landmark of green and nongreen plastids, deriving from either a primary or secondary endosymbiosis. The discovery of a plastid in Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria, fueled the search for galactoglycerolipids as possible targets for treatments. However, recent data have provided evidence that the Plasmodium plastid does not contain any galactoglycerolipids. In this opinion article, we discuss questions raised by the loss of galactoglycerolipids during evolution: how have galactoglycerolipids been lost? How does the Plasmodium plastid maintain four membranes without these lipids? What are the main constituents instead of galactoglycerolipids?
ApicoLipid Group, Laboratoire Adapation et Pathogenie des Microorganismes; CNRS, Université de Grenoble-Alpes, UMR 5163, Institut Jean Roget, F-38042 Grenoble, France.
Cyrille Y
CY
Botté
Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale; CNRS, CEA, INRA, Université de Grenoble-Alpes, UMR 5168, Institut de Recherches en Sciences et Technologies pour le Vivant, CEA Grenoble, F-38054 Grenoble, France. Electronic address: eric.marechal@cea.fr.
Eric
E
Maréchal
D038983:Galactolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000378:metabolism; D018087:Plastids / Q000737:chemistry*
D038983:Galactolipids
Chromera; Plasmodium; apicoplast; galactoglycerolipids; plastid; secondary endosymbiosis