Article
Microbiology
E-Ming Rau, Zdenka Bartosova, Kare Andre Kristiansen, Inga Marie Aasen, Per Bruheim, Helga Ertesvag
Summary: Thraustochytrids are marine eukaryotes that accumulate high amounts of triacylglycerols and synthesize terpenoids like carotenoids and squalene. This study characterizes two putative DGAT2 genes in Aurantiochytrium sp. T66 and their homologs in Aurantiochytrium limacinum SR21. The results show the functional diversity of DGAT2-like proteins and provide valuable information on steryl ester and squalene synthesis in thraustochytrids, paving the way to enhance squalene production through metabolic engineering.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guanqun Chen, John L. Harwood, M. Joanne Lemieux, Scot J. Stone, Randall J. Weselake
Summary: This review comprehensively discusses research advances on DGATs in prokaryotes and eukaryotes with a focus on their biochemical properties, physiological roles, and biotechnological and therapeutic applications.
PROGRESS IN LIPID RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Melanie Galano, Yuchang Li, Lu Li, Chantal Sottas, Vassilios Papadopoulos
Summary: Leydig cells contain STAR which plays a role in transporting cholesterol into mitochondria for steroidogenesis, while the function of constitutive STAR in Leydig cells is unclear. Studies have shown that constitutive STAR is involved in accumulating diacylglycerol (DAG) in lipid droplets in addition to cholesterol transport. This may impact cell functions mediated by DAG signaling.STAR KO cells fail to produce progesterone in response to certain hormones and TSPO ligands, but show increased cholesteryl ester, phosphatidylcholine, and diacylglycerol contents in their lipid droplets.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tomoko Hatanaka, Yoshiki Tomita, Daisuke Matsuoka, Daisuke Sasayama, Hiroshi Fukayama, Tetsushi Azuma, Mohammad Fazel Soltani Gishini, David Hildebrand
Summary: This study found that Vernonia DGAT1 had the highest oil content among different plant DGAT1 genes when introduced into Arabidopsis. In addition, amino acid substitutions in four plant DGAT1 genes significantly increased TAG content. These findings provide valuable insights into the regulation of oil accumulation in plants.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Luke J. Cooney, Zac Beechey-Gradwell, Somrutai Winichayakul, Kim A. Richardson, Tracey Crowther, Philip Anderson, Richard W. Scott, Gregory Bryan, Nicholas J. Roberts
Summary: DGAT and CO expression in leaves of Lolium perenne increases fatty acid content at the expense of water-soluble carbohydrates, leading to improved photosynthesis and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency. This process does not alter ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) content, but does increase specific leaf area, stomatal and mesophyll conductance, and leaf nitrogen allocated to photosynthetic electron transport.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
O. S. Pavlenko, Y. Akashkina, A. Suhorukova, R. A. Sidorov, V. D. Tsydendambaev
Summary: The emergence of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol-3-acyltransferases (DGATs) is considered a significant development in the organic world and plant evolution, but their diverse nature and functions pose many questions. However, in-depth research on DGATs holds great potential for biotechnology and genetic engineering of functional lipids in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Linhui Yu, Jilian Fan, Chao Zhou, Changcheng Xu
Summary: Lipid droplet biogenesis occurs at specific sites in the endoplasmic reticulum and is regulated by a specific set of lipids and proteins. Sterols are shown to play a crucial role in coordinating oil and oleosin biosynthesis for the formation of lipid droplets in plants such as Arabidopsis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ophthalmology
Pan Gao, Danna Jia, Pei Li, Yuwen Huang, Hualei Hu, Kui Sun, Yuexia Lv, Xiang Chen, Yunqiao Han, Zuxiao Zhang, Xiang Ren, Qing Wang, Fei Liu, Zhaohui Tang, Mugen Liu
Summary: A zebrafish model was generated to study the functional role of CYP4V2 in BCD development, revealing abnormal lipid metabolism in RPE cells as a direct consequence of CYP4V2 deficiency. Transcriptome analysis suggested dysregulation of the PPAR alpha pathway as a potential therapeutic target for BCD.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Reproductive Biology
Qingyu Zhu, Lewei Guo, Wen An, Zhuncheng Huang, Hongyu Liu, Jing Zhao, Wenfa Lu, Jun Wang
Summary: The study found that melatonin inhibits testosterone synthesis in roosters Leydig cells by regulating the lipolysis of lipid droplets (LDs). This inhibitory effect is achieved by reducing intracellular free cholesterol content and suppressing the expression of PLIN1 and the cAMP/PKA pathway.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhiyi Yuan, Xi Lu, Fan Lei, Hong Sun, Jingfei Jiang, Dongming Xing, Lijun Du
Summary: p-coumaric acid (p-CA) is a common plant phenolic acid with multiple bioactivities and a lipid-lowering effect. It has the potential to be used as a therapeutic drug or health care product for hyperlipidemia and fatty liver. However, the mechanism by which it regulates lipid metabolism is still unclear.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Pinaki Bhattacharjee, Nicholas Rutland, Malliga R. Iyer
Summary: This article summarizes the literature on various SOAT inhibitory agents and discusses the design, structural requirements, and mode of action of SOAT inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiajia He, Ke Liu, Shengnan Zheng, Yifan Wu, Chenhui Zhao, Shuaijie Yan, Ling Liu, Ke Ruan, Xiaopeng Ma, Chuanhai Fu
Summary: This study reveals the important roles of acyl-CoA-binding protein Acb1 in maintaining tubular mitochondrial morphology, proper mitochondrial respiration, and regulating lipid droplets in nutrient-rich conditions in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The absence of Acb1 leads to severe mitochondrial fragmentation and impaired mitochondrial respiration. Moreover, Acb1 promotes cell survival in nutrient-rich medium.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yufang Pan, Wanting Zhang, Xiaofei Wang, Juliette Jouhet, Eric Marechal, Jin Liu, Xiao-Qin Xia, Hanhua Hu
Summary: This study explores the allele-specific expression of PDAT gene in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The results show that one of the alleles, Allele 2, can be specifically induced by decreasing nitrogen concentrations and overexpression of Allele 2 substantially enhances the accumulation of TAG. On the other hand, overexpression of Allele 1 only slightly increases TAG accumulation but leads to more serious growth inhibition. It is also found that the enzymes encoded by the two alleles have different TAG biosynthetic activity, which is mainly affected by amino acid variants in their protein sequences.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Claudia Tonini, Marco Segatto, Simona Bertoli, Alessandro Leone, Arianna Mazzoli, Luisa Cigliano, Laura Barberio, Maurizio Mandala, Valentina Pallottini
Summary: This study found that maternal exposure to BPA affects hepatic lipid metabolism in female offspring, and it also reveals the potential impact of BPA on human health at doses currently considered safe.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Kate M. Warde, Yi Jan Lim, Eduardo Ribes Martinez, Felix Beuschlein, Paula O'Shea, Constanze Hantel, Michael Conall Dennedy
Summary: This study demonstrates that mitotane-induced cytotoxicity in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) may be mediated through enhanced breakdown of lipid droplets and activation of lipolysis. Understanding the role of cholesterol and lipids in ACC could provide potential novel therapeutic options, particularly in mitotane-resistant disease.