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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Arabidopsis thaliana Polar Glycerolipid Profiling by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) Coupled with Gas-Liquid Chromatography (GLC)
Published on: March 18, 2011
Role of phosphatidic acid in plant galactolipid synthesis
Emmanuelle Dubots1, Cyrille Botté, Laurence Boudière
1Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire et Végétale, UMR 5168, CNRS, CEA, INRA, Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble I, Institut de Recherches en Sciences et Technologies pour le Vivant, CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble, France.
Abstract:
Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a precursor metabolite for phosphoglycerolipids and also for galactoglycerolipids, which are essential lipids for formation of plant membranes. PA has in addition a main regulatory role in a number of developmental processes notably in the response of the plant to environmental stresses. We review here the different pools of PA dispatched at different locations in the plant cell and how these pools are modified in different growth conditions, particularly during plastid membrane biogenesis and when the plant is exposed to phosphate deprivation. We analyze how these modifications can affect galactolipid synthesis by tuning the activity of MGD1 enzyme allowing a coupling of phospho- and galactolipid metabolisms. Some mechanisms are considered to explain how physicochemical properties of PA allow this lipid to act as a central internal sensor in plant physiology.
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