PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Kunz, Hans-Henning AU - Scharnewski, Michael AU - Feussner, Kirstin AU - Feussner, Ivo AU - Flügge, Ulf-Ingo AU - Fulda, Martin AU - Gierth, Markus TI - The ABC Transporter PXA1 and Peroxisomal β-Oxidation Are Vital for Metabolism in Mature Leaves of <em>Arabidopsis</em> during Extended Darkness AID - 10.1105/tpc.108.064857 DP - 2009 Sep 01 TA - The Plant Cell PG - 2733--2749 VI - 21 IP - 9 4099 - http://www.plantcell.org/content/21/9/2733.short 4100 - http://www.plantcell.org/content/21/9/2733.full SO - Plant Cell2009 Sep 01; 21 AB - Fatty acid β-oxidation is essential for seedling establishment of oilseed plants, but little is known about its role in leaf metabolism of adult plants. Arabidopsis thaliana plants with loss-of-function mutations in the peroxisomal ABC-transporter1 (PXA1) or the core β-oxidation enzyme keto-acyl-thiolase 2 (KAT2) have impaired peroxisomal β-oxidation. pxa1 and kat2 plants developed severe leaf necrosis, bleached rapidly when returned to light, and died after extended dark treatment, whereas the wild type was unaffected. Dark-treated pxa1 plants showed a decrease in photosystem II efficiency early on and accumulation of free fatty acids, mostly α-linolenic acid [18:3(n-3)] and pheophorbide a, a phototoxic chlorophyll catabolite causing the rapid bleaching. Isolated wild-type and pxa1 chloroplasts challenged with comparable α-linolenic acid concentrations both showed an 80% reduction in photosynthetic electron transport, whereas intact pxa1 plants were more susceptible to the toxic effects of α-linolenic acid than the wild type. Furthermore, starch-free mutants with impaired PXA1 function showed the phenotype more quickly, indicating a link between energy metabolism and β-oxidation. We conclude that the accumulation of free polyunsaturated fatty acids causes membrane damage in pxa1 and kat2 plants and propose a model in which fatty acid respiration via peroxisomal β-oxidation plays a major role in dark-treated plants after depletion of starch reserves.