Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Archive
    • Preview Papers
  • About
    • Editorial Board and Staff
    • About the Journal
    • Terms & Privacy
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
  • Submit a Manuscript
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
  • Other Publications
    • Plant Physiology
    • The Plant Cell
    • Plant Direct
    • The Arabidopsis Book
    • Teaching Tools in Plant Biology
    • ASPB
    • Plantae

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Plant Cell
  • Other Publications
    • Plant Physiology
    • The Plant Cell
    • Plant Direct
    • The Arabidopsis Book
    • Teaching Tools in Plant Biology
    • ASPB
    • Plantae
  • My alerts
  • Log in
Plant Cell

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Archive
    • Preview Papers
  • About
    • Editorial Board and Staff
    • About the Journal
    • Terms & Privacy
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
  • Submit a Manuscript
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
  • Follow PlantCell on Twitter
  • Visit PlantCell on Facebook
  • Visit Plantae
In BriefIN BRIEF
You have accessRestricted Access

Regulation of Phospholipid Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis

Kathleen L. Farquharson
Kathleen L. Farquharson
Science Editor
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site

Published August 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.110.220810

  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading
  • © 2010 American Society of Plant Biologists

Phospholipids are major constituents of the membranes that separate cells from their environment and compartmentalize eukaryotic cells into functional units. In yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), the expression of genes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis is regulated by a mechanism that responds to changes in the level of phosphatidic acid (PA), a key precursor of phospholipids (Carman and Henry, 2007). Cellular levels of PA, in turn, are regulated by a Mg2+-dependent PA phosphohydrolase named Pah1p (Han et al., 2006). pah1 deletion mutants have increased levels of PA, elevated expression of phospholipid biosynthesis genes, and expanded nuclear endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (Han et al., 2006; Santos-Rosa et al., 2005).

In an effort to understand how phospholipid biosynthesis is regulated in plants, Eastmond et al. (pages 2796–2811) characterized two phosphohydrolase genes from Arabidopsis, PAH1 and 2, that are similar to yeast PAH1. Real-time PCR revealed that PAH1 and 2 were expressed throughout the plant, and green fluorescent protein (GFP)–tagged PAH1 and 2 transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves localized mainly to the cytosol. His6-tagged PAH1 and 2 heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli were able to dephosphorylate 32P-labeled PA in a Mg2+-dependent manner, confirming that these proteins function as PA phosphohydrolases. Whereas disruption of either PAH1 or 2 had no effect on plant growth, disruption of both genes retarded growth.

Next, the authors investigated the effect of PAH1 and 2 disruption on phospholipid production. Two-dimensional thin layer chromatography followed by gas chromatography analysis revealed a 70 to 100% increase in phospholipid content in the leaves and roots of the pah1 pah2 double mutant. Radiolabel feeding experiments showed that the net rate of [methyl-14C]choline incorporation into phosphatidylcholine, the main phospholipid class in Arabidopsis, was 1.8-fold greater in pah1 pah2 than in the wild type. Furthermore, the expression of several genes involved in phospholipid synthesis was upregulated in pah1 pah2 leaves. This includes PHOSPHORYLETHANOLAMINE N-METHYLTRANSFERASE1, which encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step of choline synthesis and defines a phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis pathway not found in yeast.

The authors then examined the morphology of the ER and nuclei in pah1 pah2 leaves using targeted GFP markers. Similar to findings in the yeast pah1 deletion mutant (Santos-Rosa et al., 2005), the ER was greatly expanded in pah1 pah2 plants (see figure); however, the nuclei appeared normal.

Figure1
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint

The ER is greatly expanded in pah1 pah2 plants. Confocal micrographs of wild-type (top) and pah1 pah2 (bottom) leaf cells expressing ER lumen-targeted GFP. Bars = 10 μm.

Thus, PAH1 and 2 function redundantly to repress phospholipid biosynthesis and membrane biogenesis at the ER. Although their role is analogous to that of Pah1p in yeast, they appear to act via a different mechanism and through different target enzymes.

Footnotes

  • www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.110.220810

References

  1. ↵
    1. Carman G.M.,
    2. Henry S.A.
    (2007). Phosphatidic acid plays a central role in the transcriptional regulation of glycerophospholipid synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 37293–37297.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
    1. Eastmond P.J.,
    2. Quettier A.-L.,
    3. Kroon J.T.M.,
    4. Craddock C.,
    5. Adams N.,
    6. Slabas A.R.
    (2008). PHOSPHATIDIC ACID PHOSPHOHYDROLASE1 and 2 regulate phospholipid synthesis at the endoplasmic reticulum in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 22: 2796–2811.
    OpenUrl
  2. ↵
    1. Han G.S.,
    2. Wu W.I.,
    3. Carman G.M.
    (2006). The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Lipin homolog is a Mg2+-dependent phosphatidate phosphatase enzyme. J. Biol. Chem. 281: 9210–9218.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  3. ↵
    1. Santos-Rosa H.,
    2. Leung J.,
    3. Grimsey N.,
    4. Peak-Chew S.,
    5. Siniossoglou S.
    (2005). The yeast lipin Smp2 couples phospholipid biosynthesis to nuclear membrane growth. EMBO J. 24: 1931–1941.
    OpenUrlAbstract
PreviousNext
Back to top

Table of Contents

Print
Download PDF
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Plant Cell.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Regulation of Phospholipid Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Plant Cell
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Plant Cell web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Regulation of Phospholipid Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis
Kathleen L. Farquharson
The Plant Cell Aug 2010, 22 (8) 2527; DOI: 10.1105/tpc.110.220810

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Regulation of Phospholipid Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis
Kathleen L. Farquharson
The Plant Cell Aug 2010, 22 (8) 2527; DOI: 10.1105/tpc.110.220810
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

In this issue

The Plant Cell Online: 22 (8)
The Plant Cell
Vol. 22, Issue 8
Aug 2010
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Advertising (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
View this article with LENS

More in this TOC Section

  • Zones of Defense? SA Receptors Have It Under Control
  • The Lure of Lignin: Deciphering High-value Lignin Formation in Seed Coats
  • Got Rosettes? Phenotype Them Fast, Accurately, and Easily with ARADEEPOPSIS!
Show more IN BRIEF

Similar Articles

Our Content

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Plant Cell Preview
  • Archive
  • Teaching Tools in Plant Biology
  • Plant Physiology
  • Plant Direct
  • Plantae
  • ASPB

For Authors

  • Instructions
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Editorial Board and Staff
  • Policies
  • Recognizing our Authors

For Reviewers

  • Instructions
  • Peer Review Reports
  • Journal Miles
  • Transfer of reviews to Plant Direct
  • Policies

Other Services

  • Permissions
  • Librarian resources
  • Advertise in our journals
  • Alerts
  • RSS Feeds
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 by The American Society of Plant Biologists

Powered by HighWire