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Expression pattern of diacylglycerol acyltransferase-1, an enzyme involved in triacylglycerol biosynthesis, in Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

Triacylglycerol (TAG) is the major carbon storage reserve in oilseeds such as Arabidopsis. Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyses the final step of the TAG synthesis pathway. Although TAG is mainly accumulated during seed development, and DGAT has presumably the highest activity in developing seeds, we show here that TAG synthesis is also actively taking place during germination and seedling development in Arabidopsis. The expression pattern of the DGAT1 gene was studied in transgenic plants containing the reporter gene β-glucuronidase (GUS) fused with DNA sequences flanking the DGAT1coding region. GUS activity was not only detected in developing seeds and pollen, which normally accumulate storage TAG, but also in germinating seeds and seedlings. Western blots showed that DGAT1 protein is present in several tissues, though is most abundant in developing seeds. In seedlings, DGAT1 is expressed in shoot and root apical regions, correlating with rapid cell division and growth. The expression of GUS in seedlings was consistent with the results of RNA gel blot analyses, precursor feeding and DGAT assay. In addition, DGAT1gene expression is up-regulated by glucose and associated with glucose-induced changes in seedling development.

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  1. Chaofu Lu Lu

    Present address: Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, WA, 99164, USA

  2. Yancheng Wen

    Present address: Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenzhou, Henan Province, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, WA, 99164, USA

    Shen Bayon de Noyer, Douglas H. Hobbs, Jinling Kang, Dieter Krachtus & Matthew J. Hills

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  1. Chaofu Lu Lu
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Correspondence to Matthew J. Hills.

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Lu, C.L., de Noyer, S.B., Hobbs, D.H. et al. Expression pattern of diacylglycerol acyltransferase-1, an enzyme involved in triacylglycerol biosynthesis, in Arabidopsis thaliana . Plant Mol Biol 52, 31–41 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023935605864

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