Abstract
DAD1 is a gene essential for anther dehiscence in Arabidopsis. Recently, it has been reported that DAD1 encodes a phospholipase A1 involved in jasmonate synthesis. In tomato EST database, we found several DAD1-like lipase (DLL) gene homologs. One of them, namely, LeDLL1, shows high and transient expression during seed germination, when formation of jasmonate is not so remarkable. Thus, we expected that LeDLL1 is involved in the other events, such as fat mobilization during seed germination. In this study, we explored expression profile of LeDLL1. Enzymatic characters of the recombinant LeDLL1 expressed in E. coli was also examined. These analyses showed that expression profile of LeDLL1 was highly coincided with the timing of fat mobilization during germination of tomato seeds. Recombinant LeDLL1 showed activity against neutral fats. Accordingly, it might be conceivable to expect that LeDLL1 is involved in fat mobilization. Further studies are now underway to reveal the function.
