Abstract
The plant membrane lipids contain a high content of trienoic fatty acids (TAs), which are assumed to play an important role in temperature adaptation. TA synthesis is catalyzed by ω-3 desaturase. In Arabidopsis, two isozymes of the chloroplast-localized ω-3 desaturase (FAD7 and FAD8) have been identified. These two isozymes display individually distinct patterns of expression in response to temperature change. To understand the mechanisms regulating the expression of these isozymes, in this study, posttranslational mechanisms of the regulation were investigated using blue native PAGE, a high-resolution molecular sizing method. The PAGE analysis revealed that both isozymes formed a protein complex. Changes of the oligomeric state of the FAD8 were observed in response to temperature change, while the state of the FAD7 was not altered. We will discuss the temperature effect on the oligomeric state of the FAD7 and FAD8.
