Identification of a triacylglycerol lipase in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Diatoms accumulate triacylglycerols (TAGs) as storage lipids, but the knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of lipid metabolism is still sparse. Starting from a partial sequence for a putative TAG-lipase of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum retrieved from the data bases, we have identified the full length coding sequence, tgl1. The gene encodes an 813 amino acid sequence that shows distinct motifs for so called “true” TAG-lipases [EC 3.1.1.3] that have been functionally characterized in model organisms like Arabidopsis thaliana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These lipases mediate the first initial step of TAG breakdown from storage lipids. To test whether Tgl1 can act as a TAG-lipase, a His-tagged version was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the protein indeed showed esterase activity. To identify the TAG degrading function of Tgl1 in P. tricornutum, knock-down mutant strains were created using an antisense RNA approach. In the mutant cell lines the relative tgl1-mRNA-level was reduced up to 20% of that of the wild type, accompanied by a strong increase of TAG in the lipid extracts. In spite of the TAG accumulation, the polar lipid species pattern appeared to be unchanged, confirming the TAG-lipase function of Tgl1.