title: Plant acyl-CoA-binding proteins: An emerging family involved in plant development and stress responses.
abstract: Acyl-CoA-binding protein (ACBP) was first identified in mammals as a neuropeptide, and was demonstrated to belong to an important house-keeping protein family that extends across eukaryotes and some prokaryotes. In plants, the Arabidopsis ACBP family consists of six AtACBPs (AtACBP1 to AtACBP6), and has been investigated using gene knock-out mutants and overexpression lines. Herein, recent findings on the AtACBPs are examined to provide an insight on their functions in various plant developmental processes, such as embryo and seed development, seed dormancy and germination, seedling development and cuticle formation, as well as their roles under various environmental stresses. The significance of the AtACBPs in acyl-CoA/lipid metabolism, with focus on their interaction with long to very-long-chain (VLC) acyl-CoA esters and their potential role in the formation of lipid droplets in seeds and vegetative tissues are discussed. In addition, recent findings on the rice ACBP family are presented. The similarities and differences between ACBPs from Arabidopsis and rice, that represent eudicot and monocot model plants, respectively, are analyzed and the evolution of plant ACBPs by phylogenetic analysis reviewed. Finally, we propose potential uses of plant ACBPs in phytoremediation and in agriculture related to the improvement of environmental stress tolerance and seed oil production.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Zhi-Yan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. Electronic address: mlchye@hkucc.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Mee-Len
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chye
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D026261:Diazepam Binding Inhibitor / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D012275:Oryza / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010802:Phylogeny; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D026261:Diazepam Binding Inhibitor
keywords: Acyl-CoA metabolism; Lipid transport; Long-chain acyl-CoA esters; Phylogenetics; Stress tolerance; Subcellular localization; Temporal and spatial expression