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Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Defining Substrate Specificities for Lipase and Phospholipase Candidates
Published on: November 23, 2016
Patatin-related phospholipase A: nomenclature, subfamilies and functions in plants
Günther F E Scherer1, Stephen B Ryu, Xuemin Wang
1Leibniz Universität Hannover, Inst. f. Zierpflanzenbau & Gehölzforschung, Abt. Molekulare Ertragsphysiologie, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, D-30419 Hannover, Germany. scherer@zier.uni-hannover.de
Abstract:
The release of fatty acids from membrane glycerolipids has been implicated in a variety of cellular processes, but the enzymes involved and their regulation are poorly understood in plants. One large group of acyl-hydrolyzing enzymes is structurally related to patatins. Patatins are potato tuber proteins with acyl-hydrolyzing activity, and the patatin catalytic domain is widely spread in bacterial, yeast, plant and animal enzymes. Recent results have indicated that patatin-related enzymes are involved in different cellular functions, including plant responses to auxin, elicitors or pathogens, and abiotic stresses and lipid mobilization during seed germination. In this review, we highlight recent developments regarding these enzymes and propose the nomenclature pPLA for the patatin-related phospholipase A enzyme.
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