Properties and functions of plant CDP-diacylglycerol synthases

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Cytidine-diphosphate-diacylglycerol (CDP-DAG) synthases catalyse the activation of phosphatidic acid to CDP-DAG, a central intermediate in glycerolipid biosynthesis of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. It is the direct precursor to phosphatidylinositol, -serine, -glycerol and cardiolipin in plant cells which are essential for various cellular functions. Studies with yeast and insect cells provided evidence that CDP-DAG is involved in regulating glycerolipid biosynthesis and lipid dependent signal transduction processes. In plants, CDP-DAG synthases are located in plastids, mitochondria and the endomembrane system, but apart from their subcellular localisation very little is known about these isozymes. To gain access to this important protein class and to study their functions in plants, the genes of Arabidopsis thaliana encoding CDP-diacylglycerol synthases are to be functionally characterised with regard to the properties of the encoded proteins and their targeting within plant cells. These experiments shall be complemented by the development and analysis of A. thaliana mutants and transgenic lines, deficient in certain CDP-diacylglycerol synthases or over-expressing the respective ones in order to investigate their functional roles.