title: Leaf oil bodies are subcellular factories producing antifungal oxylipins.
abstract: Oil bodies act as lipid storage compartments in plant cells. In seeds they supply energy for germination and early seedling growth. Oil bodies are also present in the leaves of many vascular plants, but their function in leaves has been poorly understood. Recent studies with oil bodies from senescent Arabidopsis thaliana leaves identified two enzymes, peroxygenase (CLO3) and α-dioxygenase (α-DOX), which together catalyze a coupling reaction to produce an antifungal compound (2-hydroxy-octadecanoic acid) from α-linolenic acid. Leaf oil bodies also have other enzymes including lipoxygenases, phospholipases, and triacylglycerol lipases. Hence, leaf oil bodies might function as intracellular factories to efficiently produce stable compounds via unstable intermediates by concentrating the enzymes and hydrophobic substrates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan. Electronic address: ihnishi@gr.bot.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hara-Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018525:Germination; D008049:Lipase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D066292:Lipid Droplets / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D036226:Seedlings / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D054883:Oxylipins; D010938:Plant Oils; D008049:Lipase