Abstract
Triacylglycerols (TAG) are important energy storage molecules for nearly all eukaryotic organisms. In this study, we found that two gene products (Plh1p and Dga1p) are responsible for the terminal step of TAG synthesis in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe through two different mechanisms: Plh1p is a phospholipid diacylglycerol acyltransferase, whereas Dga1p is an acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase. Cells with both dga1+ and plh1+ deleted (DKO cells) lost viability upon entry into the stationary phase and demonstrated prominent apoptotic markers. Exponentially growing DKO cells also underwent dramatic apoptosis when briefly treated with diacylglycerols (DAGs) or free fatty acids. We provide strong evidence suggesting that DAG, not sphingolipids, mediates fatty acids-induced lipoapoptosis in yeast. Lastly, we show that generation of reactive oxygen species is essential to lipoapoptosis.
Highlights
Triacylglycerols (TAGs)1 are important energy storage molecules that can be found in almost all eukaryotes
A few open reading frames showing limited homology to DGAT1 were found, but they are unlikely to play a role in TAG synthesis as suggested by a previous report [9]. plh1ϩ predicts a protein of 623 amino acids, with a putative transmembrane domain near its N terminus
We identified two enzymes, Plh1p and Dga1p, that mediate the last step of TAG synthesis in the fission yeast S. pombe
Summary
Triacylglycerols (TAGs)1 are important energy storage molecules that can be found in almost all eukaryotes. We provide convincing evidence that fission yeast cells defective in TAG synthesis undergo apoptosis upon entry into the stationary phase.
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