Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis

Summary: Plant lipids are an essential energy source for diets and are a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fuels and feedstocks. Fatty acid breakdown during seed germination is crucial for seedling establishment but unexpected during seed filling. Here, we demonstrate that the simultaneous...

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Main Authors: Somnath Koley, Poonam Jyoti, Maneesh Lingwan, Michael Wei, Chunhui Xu, Kevin L. Chu, Russell B. Williams, Abraham J. Koo, Jay J. Thelen, Dong Xu, Doug K. Allen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Cell Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725002633
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author Somnath Koley
Poonam Jyoti
Maneesh Lingwan
Michael Wei
Chunhui Xu
Kevin L. Chu
Russell B. Williams
Abraham J. Koo
Jay J. Thelen
Dong Xu
Doug K. Allen
author_facet Somnath Koley
Poonam Jyoti
Maneesh Lingwan
Michael Wei
Chunhui Xu
Kevin L. Chu
Russell B. Williams
Abraham J. Koo
Jay J. Thelen
Dong Xu
Doug K. Allen
author_sort Somnath Koley
collection DOAJ
description Summary: Plant lipids are an essential energy source for diets and are a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fuels and feedstocks. Fatty acid breakdown during seed germination is crucial for seedling establishment but unexpected during seed filling. Here, we demonstrate that the simultaneous biosynthesis and degradation of fatty acids begins early and continues across all phases of oil filling and throughout the photoperiod. Tests in camelina, rapeseed, and an engineered high-oil tobacco line confirmed that concomitant synthesis and breakdown in oil-producing tissues over development is the rule rather than the exception. Furthermore, we show that transgenics, designed to elevate fatty acid biosynthesis, failed to achieve anticipated increases in storage lipid levels due to increased degradation, potentially explaining the underperformance of engineered lines compared to expectations more generally.
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issn 2211-1247
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spelling doaj-art-e72cae1cb42142328b579bcf3895896d2025-08-20T02:49:25ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472025-04-0144411549210.1016/j.celrep.2025.115492Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesisSomnath Koley0Poonam Jyoti1Maneesh Lingwan2Michael Wei3Chunhui Xu4Kevin L. Chu5Russell B. Williams6Abraham J. Koo7Jay J. Thelen8Dong Xu9Doug K. Allen10Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO 63132, USA; Corresponding authorDonald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO 63132, USADonald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO 63132, USADonald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO 63132, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USADonald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO 63132, USADonald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO 63132, USADepartment of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USAChristopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USADonald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO 63132, USA; US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, St. Louis, MO 63132, USA; Corresponding authorSummary: Plant lipids are an essential energy source for diets and are a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fuels and feedstocks. Fatty acid breakdown during seed germination is crucial for seedling establishment but unexpected during seed filling. Here, we demonstrate that the simultaneous biosynthesis and degradation of fatty acids begins early and continues across all phases of oil filling and throughout the photoperiod. Tests in camelina, rapeseed, and an engineered high-oil tobacco line confirmed that concomitant synthesis and breakdown in oil-producing tissues over development is the rule rather than the exception. Furthermore, we show that transgenics, designed to elevate fatty acid biosynthesis, failed to achieve anticipated increases in storage lipid levels due to increased degradation, potentially explaining the underperformance of engineered lines compared to expectations more generally.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725002633CP: Plants
spellingShingle Somnath Koley
Poonam Jyoti
Maneesh Lingwan
Michael Wei
Chunhui Xu
Kevin L. Chu
Russell B. Williams
Abraham J. Koo
Jay J. Thelen
Dong Xu
Doug K. Allen
Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis
Cell Reports
CP: Plants
title Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis
title_full Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis
title_fullStr Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis
title_full_unstemmed Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis
title_short Persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis
title_sort persistent fatty acid catabolism during plant oil synthesis
topic CP: Plants
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725002633
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