Abstract
Developing cocoa cotyledons accumulate initially an unsaturated oil which is particularly rich in oleate and linoleate. However, as maturation proceeds, the characteristic high stearate levels appear in the storage triacylglycerols. In the early stages of maturation, tissue slices of developing cotyledons (105 days post anthesis, dpa) readily accumulate radioactivity from [14C]acetate into the diacylglycerols and label predominantly palmitate and oleate. In older tissues (130 dpa), by contrast, the triacylglycerols are extensively labelled and, at the same time, there is an increase in the percentage labelling of stearate. Thus, the synthesis of triacylglycerol and the production of stearate are co-ordinated during development. The relative labelling of the phospholipids (particularly phosphatidylcholine) was rather low at both stages of development which contrasts with oil seeds that accumulate a polyunsaturated oil (e.g. safflower). Microsomal membrane preparations from the developing cotyledons readily utilised an equimolar [14C]acyl-CoA substrate (consisting of palmitate, stearate and oleate) and glycerol 3-phosphate to form phosphatidate, diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol. Analysis of the [14C]acyl constituents at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of phosphatidate and diacylglycerol revealed that the first acylase enzyme (glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase) selectively utilised palmitate over stearate and excluded oleate, whereas the second acylase (lysophosphatidate acyltransferase) was highly selective for the unsaturated acyl-CoA. On the other hand, the third acylase (diacylglycerol acyltransferase) exhibited an almost equal selectivity for palmitate and stearate. Thus, stearate is preferentially enriched at position sn-3 of triacylglycerol at 120–130 dpa because of the relatively higher selectivity of the diacylglycerol acyltransferase for this fatty acid compared with those of the other two acylation enzymes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- dpa:
-
days post anthesis
References
Appelqvist, L.A. (1975) Biochemical and structural aspects of storage and membrane lipids in developing oil seeds, In: Recent advances in the chemistry and biochemistry of plant lipids, pp. 247–286, Gaillard, T., Mercer, E.I., eds. Academic Press, London
Bafor, M., Stobart, A.K., Stymne, S. (1990) Properties of the glycerol acylating enzymes in microsomal preparations from the developing seeds of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) and turnip rape (Brassica campestris) and their ability to assemble cocoabutter type fats. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 67, 217–225
Bjerve, K.S., Daae, L.N.W., Bremmer, J. (1974) The selective loss of lysophospholipids in some commonly used lipid-extraction procedures. Anal. Biochem. 58, 238–245
Bligh, E.G., Dyer, W.J. (1959) A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification. Can. J. Biochem. Physiol. 37, 911–917
Cao, Y-Z, and Huang, A.H. (1987) Acyl coenzyme A preference of diacylglycerol acyltransferase from the maturing seeds of cuphea, maize, rapeseed and canola. Plant Physiol. 84, 762–765
Christie, W.W. (1982) Lipid Analysis. Pergamon Press, Oxford, UK
Fritz, P.J., Fritz, K.A., Kauffman, J.M., Patterson, G.R., Robertson, C.A., Stoesz, D.A., Wilson, M.R. (1985) Cocoa seeds: Changes in protein and polysomal RNA during development. J. Food. Sci. 50, 946–950
Griffiths, G., Harwood, J.L. (1989) Fat synthesis in cocoa (Theobroma cacao). Biochem. Soc. Trans. 17, 688–689
Griffiths, G., Harwood, J.L. (1990) Triacylglycerol synthesis in maturing cotyledons of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L). In: Plant lipid biochemistry, structure and utilization, Quinn, P.J., Harwood, J.L. eds. Biochemical Society, London, pp. 216–218
Griffiths, G., Stymne, S., Stobart, A.K. (1988) The utilisation of fatty-acid substrates in triacylglycerol biosynthesis by tissue slices of developing safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cotyledons. Planta 173, 309–316
Gunstone, F.D., Harwood, J.L., Padley, F.B. (1986) The lipid handbook. Chapman and Hall, London
Harwood, J.L. (1989) Lipid metabolism in plants. Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 8, 1–43
Ichihara K., Noda, M. (1982) Some properties of diacylglycerol acyltransferase in a particulate fraction from maturing safflower seeds. Phytochemistry 21, 1895–1901
McHenry, L., Fritz, P.J. (1987) Cocoa butter biosynthesis. In: The metabolism, structure, and function of plant lipids, pp. 337–339, Stumpf, P.K., Mudd, J.B., Nes, W.D., eds. Plenum Press New York London
Pence, V.C., Hasegawa, P.M., Janick, J. (1981) In vitro cotyledonary development and anthocyanin synthesis in zygotic and asexual embryos of Theobroma cacao. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106, 381–385
Raison (1980) Membrane lipids: structure and function, In: The biochemistry of plants, vol. 4, pp. 57–83, Stumpf, P.K., Conn, E.E., eds. Academic Press, New York
Slack, C.R., Roughan, P.G., Balasingham, N. (1978) Labelling of glycerolipids in the cotyledons of developing oilseeds by 1-14C acetate and 2-3H glycerol. Biochem. J. 170, 421–433
Slack, C.R., Roughan, P.G., Browse, J.A., Gardiner, S.E. (1985) Some properties of cholinephosphotransferase from developing safflower cotyledons. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 833, 438–448
Stobart, A.K., Stymne, S. (1985) The interconversion of diacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine during triacylglycerol production in microsomal preparations of developing cotyledons of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Biochem. J. 232, 217–221
Stymne, S., Glad, G. (1981) Acyl exchange between oleoyl-CoA and phosphatidylcholine in microsomes of developing soya bean cotyledons and its role in fatty acid desaturation. Lipids 16, 298–305
Stymne, S., Stobart, A.K. (1987) Triacylglycerol biosynthesis, In: The biochemistry of plants, vol. 9, pp. 175–214. Stumpf, P.K., Conn, E.E., eds. Academic Press, New York
Tsai, C.H., Kinsella, J.E. (1981) Initiation and growth of callus and cell suspensions of Theobroma cacao L. Ann. Bot. 48, 549–557
Wright, D.C., Park, W.D., Leopold, N.R., Hasegawa, P.M., Janick, J. (1982) Accumulation of lipids, proteins, alkaloids and anthocyanins during embryo development in vivo of Theobroma cacao L. J. Am. Oil. Chem. Soc. 59, 475–479
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
We are grateful to Drs. G. Pettipher (Cadbury-Schweppes, Reading, UK), M. End and P. Hadley (Department of Horticulture, University of Reading) for the supply of cocoa pods and to the Agricultural and Food Research Council for financial support. We also wish to thank Dr. S. Stymne (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden) for a generous gift of acyl-CoA substrates.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Griffiths, G., Harwood, J.L. The regulation of triacylglycerol biosynthesis in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) L.. Planta 184, 279–284 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197958
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197958