Diacylglycerol Pyrophosphate, A Novel Plant Signaling Lipid

Abstract

Diacylglycerol pyrophosphate (DGPP) is a phosphorylated form of phosphatidic acid (PA) found in plants and yeast but not in mammals. DGPP is a minor lipid that accumulates transiently under various abiotic stresses and during biotic interactions. DGPP formation may be a way of attenuating PA content, but DGPP itself might also be a signaling lipid. DGPP is the product of the phosphorylation of PA catalyzed by PA kinase (PAK). Unfortunately, studies describing the role of PAK are limited as gene encoding PAK has not been identified yet. DGPP is dephosphorylated by lipid phosphate phosphatase (LPP) activity to produce PA. LPPs with DGPP phosphatase activity are found in a wide variety of organisms including bacteria, yeast, plants, and mammals. In Arabidopsis, four genes encoding LPPs have been identified, and a role for DGPP in abscisic acid signaling is becoming apparent.