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We have recently characterised NET2A as a pollen‐specific actin‐binding protein which binds F‐actin at the plasma membrane of growing pollen tubes. However, the role of NET2 proteins in pollen development and fertilisation have yet to be elucidated. To further characterise the role of Arabidopsis NET2 proteins in pollen development and fertilisation, we analysed the subcellular localisation of NET2A over the course of pollen grain development, and investigated the role of the NET2 family using net2 loss‐of‐function mutants. We observed NET2A to localise to the F‐actin cytoskeleton in developing pollen grains as it underwent striking structural reorganisations at specific stages of development and during germination, and pollen tube growth. Furthermore, net2 loss‐of‐function mutants exhibited striking morphological defects in the early stages of pollen tube growth, arising from frequent alterations to pollen tube growth trajectory. We observed defects in the cortical actin cytoskeleton and actin‐driven subcellular processes in net2 mutant pollen tubes. We demonstrate that NET2 proteins are essential for normal actin‐driven pollen development highlighting an important role for the NET2 family members in regulating pollen tube growth during fertilisation.

ATP is secreted to the extracellular matrix, where it activates plasma membrane receptors for controlling plant growth and stress-adaptive processes. DOES NOT RESPOND TO NUCLEOTIDES 1 (DORN1), was the first plant ATP receptor to be identified but key downstream proteins remain sought after. Here, we identified 120 proteins secreted by Arabidopsis cell cultures and screened them for putative stress-responsive proteins using ATP-affinity purification. We report three Arabidopsis proteins isolated by ATP-affinity: PEROXIDASE 52, SUBTILASE-LIKE SERINE PROTEASE 1.7 and PHOSPHOLIPASE C-LIKE 1. In wild-type Arabidopsis, the expression of genes encoding all three proteins responded to fumonisin B1, a cell death-activating mycotoxin. The expression of PEROXIDASE 52 and PHOSPHOLIPASE C-LIKE 1 was altered in fumonisin B1-resistant salicylic acid induction-deficient (sid2) mutants. Exposure to fumonisin B1 suppressed PHOSPHOLIPASE C-LIKE 1 expression in sid2 mutants, suggesting that the inactivation of this gene might provide mycotoxin tolerance. Accordingly, gene knockout mutants of PHOSPHOLIPASE C-LIKE 1 were resistant to fumonisin B1-induced death. The activation of PHOSPHOLIPASE C-LIKE 1 gene expression by exogenous ATP was not blocked in dorn1 loss-of-function mutants, indicating that DORN1 is not required. Furthermore, exogenous ATP rescued both the wild type and the dorn1 mutants from fumonisin-B1 toxicity, suggesting that different ATP receptor(s) are operational in this process. Our results point to the existence of additional plant ATP receptor(s) and provide crucial downstream targets for use in designing screens to identify these receptors. Finally, PHOSPHOLIPASE C-LIKE 1 serves as a convergence point for fumonisin B1 and extracellular ATP signalling, and functions in the Arabidopsis stress response to fumonisin B1.

During fertilization, Pollen Receptor-Like Kinases (PRKs) control pollen tube growth through the pistil in response to extracellular signals, and regulate the actin cytoskeleton at the tube apex to drive tip growth. We investigated a novel link between membrane-integral PRKs and the actin cytoskeleton, mediated through interactions between PRKs and NET2A; a pollen-specific member of the NETWORKED superfamily of actin-binding proteins. We characterize NET2A as a novel actin-associated protein that localizes to punctae at the plasma membrane of the pollen tube shank, which are stably associated with cortical longitudinal actin cables. NET2A was demonstrated to interact specifically with PRK4 and PRK5 in Nicotiana benthamiana transient expression assays, and associated at discreet foci at the shank membrane of Arabidopsis pollen tubes. Our data indicate that NET2A is recruited to the plasma membrane by PRK4 and PRK5, and that PRK kinase activity is important in facilitating its interaction with NET2A. We conclude that NET2A–PRK interactions mediate discreet sites of stable interactions between the cortical longitudinal actin cables and plasma membrane in the shank region of growing pollen tubes, which we have termed Actin-Membrane Contact Sites (AMCSs). Interactions between PRKs and NET2A implicate a role for NET2A in signal transduction to the actin cytoskeleton during fertilization.

The Arabidopsis genome contains seven genes that belong to the RecQ family of ATP- dependent DNA helicases. RecQ members in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SGS1) and man (WRN, BLM and RecQL4) are involved in DNA recombination, repair and genome stability maintenance, but little is known about the function of their plant counterparts. The Arabidopsis thalianaRecQsim gene is remarkably different from the other RecQ-like genes due to an insertion in its helicase domain. We isolated the AtRecQsim orthologues from rice and rape and established the presence of a similar insertion in their helicase domain, which suggests a plant specific function for the insert. The expression pattern of the AtRecQsim gene was compared with the other ArabidopsisRecQ-like members in different tissues and in response to stress. The transcripts of the AtRecQsim gene were found in all plant organs and its accumulation was higher in roots and seedlings, as compared to the other AtRecQ-like members. In contrast to most AtRecQ-like genes, the examined environmental cues did not have a detectable effect on the accumulation of the AtRecQsim transcripts. The budding yeast sgs1 mutant, which is known to be hypersensitive to the DNA-damaging drug MMS, was transformed with the AtRecQsim cDNA. The AtRecQsim gene suppressed the MMS hypersensitivity phenotype of the sgs1 cells. We propose that the ArabidopsisRecQsim gene, despite its unusual structure, exhibits an evolutionary conserved function.

Glycerol-3-phosphate 1-acyltransferase is a soluble chloroplast enzyme involved in glycerol-lipid biosynthesis associated with chilling resistance in plants (). Resistance is associated with higher selectivity for unsaturated acyl substrates over saturated ones. In vitro substrate selectivity assays performed under physiologically relevant conditions have been established that discriminate between selective and non-selective forms of the enzyme. A mutation, L261F, in the squash protein converts it from a non-selective enzyme into a selective one. The mutation lies within 10 A of the predicted acyl binding site and results in a higher K(m) for 16:0 acyl carrier protein (ACP). Site-directed mutagenesis was used to determine the importance of four residues, Arg(235), Arg(237), Lys(193), and His(194), implicated to be involved in binding of the phosphate group of glycerol 3-phosphate to the enzyme. All the proteins were highly homologous in structure to the wild type enzyme. Mutations in Arg(235), Arg(237), and Lys(193) resulted in inactive enzyme, while His(194) had reduced catalytic activity. The mutant proteins retained the ability to bind stoichiometric quantities of acyl-ACPs supporting the potential role of these residues in glycerol 3-phosphate binding.

Background: β-Keto acyl carrier protein reductase (BKR) catalyzes the pyridine-nucleotide-dependent reduction of a 3-oxoacyl form of acyl carrier protein (ACP), the first reductive step in de novo fatty acid biosynthesis and a reaction often performed in polyketide biosynthesis. The Brassica napus BKR enzyme is NADPH-dependent and forms part of a dissociable type II fatty acid synthetase (FAS). Significant sequence similarity is observed with enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase (ENR), the other reductase of FAS, and the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase (SDR) family. Results: The first crystal structure of BKR has been determined at 2.3 A resolution in a binary complex with an NADP + cofactor. The structure reveals a homotetramer in which each subunit has a classical dinucleotide-binding fold. A triad of Ser154, Tyr167 and Lys171 residues is found at the active site, characteristic of the SDR family. Overall BKR has a very similar structure to ENR with good superimposition of catalytically important groups. Modelling of the substrate into the active site of BKR indicates the need for conformational changes in the enzyme. Conclusions: A catalytic mechanism can be proposed involving the conserved triad. Helix α6 must shift its position to permit substrate binding to BKR and might act as a flexible lid on the active site. The similarities in fold, mechanism and substrate binding between BKR, which catalyzes a carbon–oxygen double-bond reduction, and ENR, the carbon–carbon double-bond oxidoreductase in FAS, suggest a close evolutionary link during the development of the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway.

A cDNA encoding a 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase from Limnanthes douglasii was introduced into oil seed rape (Brassica napus) under the control of a napin promoter. Seed triacylglycerols from transgenic plants were analysed by reversed-phase HPLC and trierucin was detected at a level of 0.4% and 2.8% in two transgenic plants but was not found in untransformed rape seed. Total fatty acid composition analysis of seeds from these selected plants revealed that the erucic acid content was no higher than the maximum found in the starting population. Analysis of fatty acids at the sn-2 position showed no erucic acid in untransformed rape but in the selected transgenic plants 9% (mol/mol) and 28.3% (mol/mol) erucic acid was present. These results conclusively demonstrate that the gene from L. douglasii encodes a 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase which can function in rape and incorporate erucic acid at the sn-2 position of triacylglycerols in seed. Additional modifications may further increase levels of trierucin.

Background: Storage triacylglycerols in castor bean seeds are enriched in the hydroxylated fatty acid ricinoleate. Extensive tissue-specific RNA-Seq transcriptome and lipid analysis will help identify components important for its biosynthesis. Methodology/Findings: Storage triacylglycerols (TAGs) in the endosperm of developing castor (Ricinus communis) seeds are highly enriched in ricinoleic acid (18:1-OH). We have analysed neutral lipid fractions from other castor tissues using TLC, GLC and mass spectrometry. Cotyledons, like the endosperm, contain high levels of 18:1-OH in TAG. Pollen and male developing flowers accumulate TAG but do not contain 18:1-OH and leaves do not contain TAG or 18:1-OH. Analysis of acyl-CoAs in developing endosperm shows that ricinoleoyl-CoA is not the dominant acyl-CoA, indicating that either metabolic channelling or enzyme substrate selectivity are important in the synthesis of tri-ricinolein in this tissue. RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis, using Illumina sequencing by synthesis technology, has been performed on mRNA isolated from two stages of developing seeds, germinating seeds, leaf and pollen-producing male flowers in order to identify differences in lipid-metabolic pathways and enzyme isoforms which could be important in the biosynthesis of TAG enriched in 18:1-OH. This study gives comprehensive coverage of gene expression in a variety of different castor tissues. The potential role of differentially expressed genes is discussed against a background of proteins identified in the endoplasmic reticulum, which is the site of TAG biosynthesis, and transgenic studies aimed at increasing the ricinoleic acid content of TAG. Conclusions/Significance: Several of the genes identified in this tissue-specific whole transcriptome study have been used in transgenic plant research aimed at increasing the level of ricinoleic acid in TAG. New candidate genes have been identified which might further improve the level of ricinoleic acid in transgenic crops.

Ricinoleic acid is a feedstock for nylon-11 (N11) synthesis which is currently obtained from castor (Ricinus communis) oil. Production of this fatty acid in a temperate oilseed crop is of great commercial interest, but the highest reported level in transgenic plant oils is 30%, below the 90% observed in castor and insufficient for commercial exploitation. To identify castor oil-biosynthetic enzymes and inform strategies to improve ricinoleic acid yields, we performed MudPIT analysis on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) purified from developing castor bean endosperm. Candidate enzymes for all steps of triacylglycerol synthesis were identified among 72 proteins in the data set related to complex-lipid metabolism. Previous reported proteomic data from oilseeds had not included any membrane-bound enzyme that might incorporate ricinoleic acid into oil. Analysis of enriched ER enabled determination of which protein isoforms for these enzymes were in developing castor seed. To complement this data, quantitative RT-PCR experiments with castor seed and leaf RNA were performed for orthologues of Arabidopsis oil-synthetic enzymes, determining which were highly expressed in the seed. These data provide important information for further manipulation of ricinoleic acid content in oilseeds and peptide data for future quantification strategies.

Phospholipids make up the bulk of most eukaryotic cell membranes, but how their synthesis is regulated remains relatively poorly understood in plants. In our article1 we provide evidence that two Mg ( 2+) -dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase enzymes, called PAH1 and PAH2, are capable of repressing phospholipid biosynthesis at the endoplasmic reticulum in Arabidopsis thaliana. The precise mechanism of repression remains unclear and it does appear to vary in several respects from that already described in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ( 2,3).

Glycerol-3-phosphate 1-acyltransferase (E.C. 2.3.1.15; G3PAT) catalyses the incorporation of an acyl group from either acyl-acyl carrier proteins (acylACPs) or acylCoAs into the sn-1 position of glycerol 3-phosphate to yield 1-acylglycerol 3-phosphate. Crystals of squash G3PAT have been obtained by the hanging-drop method of vapour diffusion using PEG 4000 as the precipitant. These crystals are most likely to belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with approximate unit-cell parameters a = 61.1, b = 65.1, c = 103.3 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees and a monomer in the asymmetric unit. X-ray diffraction data to 1.9 A resolution have been collected in-house using a MAR 345 imaging-plate system.

Squash glycerol-3-phospate-1-acyltransferase has been crystallized and the structure of the enzyme determined, at 1.9-Å resolution, using multiple isomorphous replacement of the wild type and a series of individual cysteine mutants. Competitive in vitro substrate selectivity assays have been established that differentiate between selective and non-selective forms of the enzyme. Particular care was taken to use near-physiological concentrations of both substrates. Clear substrate selectivity can be demonstrated with the natural substrate acyl-acyl carrier protein but not with the substrate analogue acyl-CoA. The use of site-directed mutagenesis, coupled to three-dimensional structural determinations, should provide a rational basis for elucidating structural components important in determining the substrate selectivity of this enzyme.

The predicted mature portion of a putative 3-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase (DH) from Arabidopsis was linked to an N-terminal poly-histidine-tag and the fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli. Soluble dehydratase was present on induction at 25°C and pure dehydratase eluted from a nickel-affinity column in 0.2–0.5M imidazole. High concentrations of imidazole were necessary to retain enzyme solubility. The dehydratase reaction is reversible and 3-hydroxybutyryl- and 2-butenoyl-ACP substrates were prepared from E. coli apo-ACP. Analysis of these suggested contamination of apo-ACP with dehydratase and an additional reverse-phase chromatographic step was required during acyl carrier protein (ACP) preparation. Activity of purified dehydratase was demonstrated by mass spectrometry using 2-butenoyl-ACP, providing the first functional experimental evidence for plant DH gene sequences.

Seed oil from castor bean (Ricinus communis) contains high amounts of hydroxy fatty acid rich triacylglycerols (TAGs) that can serve as raw material for production of bio-based products such as nylon, cosmetics, lubricants, foams, and surfactants. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyses the terminal reaction in the acyl-CoA dependent Kennedy pathway of triglyceride biosynthesis. There is still some debate whether there are three or four enzymes in yeast that have DGAT activity and catalyse the synthesis of TAG but of these the DGAT2 homologue Dga1 contributes in a major way to TAG biosynthesis. Here we report on the cloning of a cDNA for DGAT2 from castor bean and prove its biological activity following expression in yeast and enzymatic assays using diricinolein as the acceptor and ricinoleoyl-CoA as the donor. Previous reports of DGAT in castor have focussed on DGAT1 which has little amino acid sequence homology to DGAT2. Expressional studies demonstrate that DGAT2 is 18-fold more highly expressed in seeds than in leaves and shows temporal specific expression during seed development. In contrast, DGAT1 shows little difference in expression in seeds versus leaves. We conclude that in castor bean DGAT2 is more likely to play a major role in seed TAG biosynthesis than DGAT1.

Background: Glycerol-3-phosphate (1)-acyltransferase(G3PAT) catalyzes the incorporation of an acyl group from either acyl-acyl carrier proteins (acylACPs) or acyl-CoAs into the sn-1 position of glycerol 3-phosphate to yield 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate. G3PATs can either be selective, preferentially using the unsaturated fatty acid, oleate (C18:1), as the acyl donor, or nonselective, using either oleate or the saturated fatty acid, palmitate (C16:0), at comparable rates. The differential substrate specificity for saturated versus unsaturated fatty acids seen within this enzyme family has been implicated in the sensitivity of plants to chilling temperatures. Results: The three-dimensional structure of recombinant G3PAT from squash chloroplast has been determined to 1.9 A resolution by X-ray crystallography using the technique of multiple isomorphous replacement and provides the first representative structure of an enzyme of this class. Conclusions: The tertiary structure of G3PAT comprises two domains, the larger of which, domain II, features an extensive cleft lined by hydrophobic residues and contains at one end a cluster of positively charged residues flanked by a H(X) 4 D motif, which is conserved amongst many glycerolipid acyltransferases. We predict that these hydrophobic and positively charged residues represent the binding sites for the fatty acyl substrate and the phosphate moiety of the glycerol 3-phosphate, respectively, and that the H(X) 4 D motif is a critical component of the enzyme's catalytic machinery.

The yeast Candida cloacae is capable of growing on alkanes and fatty acids as sole carbon sources. Transfer of cultures from a glucose medium to one containing oleic acid induced seven proteins of M(r) 102,000, 73,000, 61,000, 54,000, and 46,000 and two in the region of M(r) 45,000 and repressed a protein of M(r) 64,000. The induction of the M(r) 73,000 protein reached a 7-fold maximum 24 h after induction. The protein was confirmed by its enzyme activity to be a long-chain fatty-acid alcohol oxidase (LC-FAO) and purified to homogeneity from microsomes by a rapid procedure involving hydrophobic chromatography. An internal peptide of 30 amino acids was sequenced. A 1100-base pair cDNA fragment containing the LC-FAO peptide coding sequence was used to isolate a single exon genomic clone containing the full-length coding sequence of an LC-FAO (fao1). The fao1 gene product was expressed in Escherichia coli and was translated as a functional long-chain alcohol oxidase, which was present in the membrane fraction. In addition, full-length coding sequences for a Candida tropicalis LC-FAO (faoT) and a second C. cloacae LC-FAO (fao2) were isolated. The DNA sequences obtained had open reading frames of 2094 (fao1), 2091 (fao2), and 2112 (faoT) base pairs. The derived amino acid sequences of fao2 and faoT showed 89.4 and 76.2% similarities to fao1. The fao1 gene is much more highly induced on alkane than is fao2. Although this study describes the first known DNA sequences encoding LC-FAOs from any source, there are unassigned Arabidopsis sequences and an unassigned Mycobacterium sequence in the GenBank(TM) Data Bank that show strong homology to the described LC-FAO sequences. The conservation of sequence between yeast, plants, and bacteria suggests that an as yet undescribed family of long-chain fatty-acid oxidases exists in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes.

Currently available cultivars of high erucic acid rape (HEAR) have a theoretical maximum of 66% erucic acid (22:1, Δ13) in their seed oil due to the specificity of the membrane-bound 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LPA-AT) enzyme. In HEAR the LPA-AT does not incorporate erucic acid at the s n-2 position of triacylglycerols (TAG) but preferentially incorporates oleic acid (18:1, Δ9), even if this is only a minor component of the total fatty acid pool (1). However, some plant species, e.g Limnanthes, can utilise erucoyl-CoA as a substrate and effectively incorporate erucic acid at the sn-2 position (2, 3).

Two different techniques were used to isolate potential cDNAs for acyl-CoA: 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LPA-AT) enzymes from Limnanthes douglasii. Both heterologous screening with the maize pMAT1 clone and in vivo complementation of the Escherichia coli mutant JC201 which is deficient in LPA-AT activity, were carried out. Clones identified by these procedures were different. Homology searches demonstrated that the clone isolated by heterologous probing, pLAT1, encodes a protein which is most similar to the maize (open reading frame in pMAT1) and yeast SLC1 proteins, which are putative LPA-AT sequences. This L. douglasii sequence shows much lower homology to the E. coli LPA-AT protein PlsC, which is the only LPA-AT sequence confirmed by over-expression studies. The clone isolated by complementation, pLAT2, encodes a protein with homology to both SLC1 and PlsC. It was not possible to over-express the complementing protein encoded by pLAT2 but further experimentation on membranes from complemented JC201 demonstrated that they possess a substrate specificity distinctly different from PlsC and similar to Limnanthes sp. microsome specificity. This data strongly supports the contention that pLAT2 is an LPA-AT clone. Northern blot analysis revealed different expression patterns for the two genes in pLAT1 and pLAT2. Transcription of the gene encoding the insert of pLAT2 occurred almost exclusively in developing seed tissue, whilst the cDNA of pLAT1 hybridised to poly(A)+ mRNA from seed, stem and leaf, demonstrating more widespread expression throughout the plant. Southern blot analysis indicated that the cDNA of pLAT2 was transcribed from a single-copy gene while that for pLAT1 was a member of a small gene family.

The biosynthesis of fatty acids is catalysed by two multienzyme systems (a) acetyl CoA carboxylase [ACC] and (b) fatty and synthetase [FAS]. We have purified the 220 KDa subunit form of ACC from wheat germ obtained amino and sequence and cloned a cDNA corresponding to the transcarboxylase domain of this enzyme[1]. The wheat cDNA was used to probe both an Arabidopsis genomic library and rape cDNA libraries prepared by oligo d(T) and random priming. A 19 Kb genomic clone has been isolated and the domain order ascribed following DNA sequencing[2].

One independent and two overlapping rape cDNA clones have been isolated from a rape embryo library. We have shown that they encode a 2.3 kb and a 2.5 kb stretch of the full-length acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) cDNA, corresponding to the biotin-binding and transcarboxylase domains respectively. Using the cDNA in Northern-blot analysis we have shown that the mRNA for ACCase has a higher level of expression in rape seed than in rape leaf and has a full length of 7.5 kb. The level of expression during rape embryogenesis was compared with both oil deposition and expression of two fatty acid synthetase components enoyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase and 3-oxoacyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase. Levels of ACCase mRNA were shown to peak at 29 days after anthesis during embryonic development, similarly to enoyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase and 3-oxoacyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase mRNA. In addition, a full-length genomic clone (19 kb) of Arabidopsis ACCase has been isolated and partially sequenced. Analysis of the clone has allowed the first plant ACCase activity domains (biotin carboxylase-biotin binding-transcarboxylase) to be ordered and assigned. Southern-blot analysis using the Arabidopsis clone indicates that ACCase is a single-copy gene in Arabidopsis but is encoded by a small gene family in rape.

The recently described human anion channel Anoctamin (ANO) protein family comprises at least ten members, many of which have been shown to correspond to calcium-activated chloride channels. To date, the only reported human mutations in this family of genes are dominant mutations in ANO5 (TMEM16E, GDD1) in the rare skeletal disorder gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia. We have identified recessive mutations in ANO5 that result in a proximal limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD2L) in three French Canadian families and in a distal non-dysferlin Miyoshi myopathy (MMD3) in Dutch and Finnish families. These mutations consist of a splice site, one base pair duplication shared by French Canadian and Dutch cases, and two missense mutations. The splice site and the duplication mutations introduce premature-termination codons and consequently trigger nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, suggesting an underlining loss-of-function mechanism. The LGMD2L phenotype is characterized by proximal weakness, with prominent asymmetrical quadriceps femoris and biceps brachii atrophy. The MMD3 phenotype is associated with distal weakness, of calf muscles in particular. With the use of electron microscopy, multifocal sarcolemmal lesions were observed in both phenotypes. The phenotypic heterogeneity associated with ANO5 mutations is reminiscent of that observed with Dysferlin (DYSF) mutations that can cause both LGMD2B and Miyoshi myopathy (MMD1). In one MMD3-affected individual, defective membrane repair was documented on fibroblasts by membrane-resealing ability assays, as observed in dysferlinopathies. Though the function of the ANO5 protein is still unknown, its putative calcium-activated chloride channel function may lead to important insights into the role of deficient skeletal muscle membrane repair in muscular dystrophies.