Characterization of a Novel Intestinal Glycerol-3-phosphate Acyltransferase Pathway and Its Role in Lipid Homeostasis

Dietary triglycerides (TG) are absorbed by the enterocytes of the small intestine after luminal hydrolysis into monacylglycerol and fatty acids. Before secretion on chylomicrons, these lipids are reesterified into TG, primarily through the monoacylglycerol pathway. However, targeted deletion of the primary murine monoacylglycerol acyltransferase does not quantitatively affect lipid absorption, suggesting the existence of alternative pathways. Therefore, we investigated the role of the glycerol 3-phosphate pathway in dietary lipid absorption. The expression of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT3) was examined throughout the small intestine. To evaluate the role for GPAT3 in lipid absorption, mice harboring a disrupted GPAT3 gene (Gpat3^−/−) were subjected to an oral lipid challenge and fed a Western-type diet to characterize the role in lipid and cholesterol homeostasis. Additional mechanistic studies were performed in primary enterocytes. GPAT3 was abundantly expressed in the apical surface of enterocytes in the small intestine. After an oral lipid bolus, Gpat3^−/− mice exhibited attenuated plasma TG excursion and accumulated lipid in the enterocytes. Electron microscopy studies revealed a lack of lipids in the lamina propria and intercellular space in Gpat3^−/− mice. Gpat3^−/− enterocytes displayed a compensatory increase in the synthesis of phospholipid and cholesteryl ester. When fed a Western-type diet, hepatic TG and cholesteryl ester accumulation was significantly higher in Gpat3^−/− mice compared with the wild-type mice accompanied by elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase, a marker of liver injury. Dysregulation of bile acid metabolism was also evident in Gpat3-null mice. These studies identify GPAT3 as a novel enzyme involved in intestinal lipid metabolism.     

Recruiting a new substrate for triacylglycerol synthesis in plants: the monoacylglycerol acyltransferase pathway

Background

Monoacylglycerol acyltransferases (MGATs) are predominantly associated with lipid absorption and resynthesis in the animal intestine where they catalyse the first step in the monoacylglycerol (MAG) pathway by acylating MAG to form diacylglycerol (DAG). Typical plant triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis routes such as the Kennedy pathway do not include an MGAT step. Rather, DAG and TAG are synthesised de novo from glycerol-3-phosphate (G-3-P) by a series of three subsequent acylation reactions although a complex interplay with membrane lipids exists.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We demonstrate that heterologous expression of a mouse MGAT acyltransferase in Nicotiana benthamiana significantly increases TAG accumulation in vegetative tissues despite the low levels of endogenous MAG substrate available. In addition, DAG produced by this acyltransferase can serve as a substrate for both native and coexpressed diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT). Finally, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana GPAT4 acyltransferase can produce MAG in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using oleoyl-CoA as the acyl-donor.

Conclusions/Significance

This study demonstrates the concept of a new method of increasing oil content in vegetative tissues by using MAG as a substrate for TAG biosynthesis. Based on in vitro yeast assays and expression results in N. benthamiana, we propose that co-expression of a MAG synthesising enzyme such as A. thaliana GPAT4 and a MGAT or bifunctional M/DGAT can result in DAG and TAG synthesis from G-3-P via a route that is independent and complementary to the endogenous Kennedy pathway and other TAG synthesis routes.     

Characterization and partial purification of acyl-CoA:glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase from sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) developing seeds

The glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT, EC 2.3.1.15) from sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) microsomes has been characterised and partially purified. The in vitro determination of activity was optimized, and the maximum value for GPAT activity identified between 15 and 20 days after flowering. The apparent Michaelis–Menten K_m for the glycerol 3-phosphate was 354 μM. The preferred substrates were palmitoyl-CoA = linoleoyl-CoA > oleoyl-CoA with the lowest activity using stearoyl-CoA. High solubilisation was achieved using 0.75% Tween80 and the solubilised GPAT was partially purified by ion-exchange chromatography using a Hi-Trap DEAE FF column, followed by gel filtration chromatography using a Superose 12 HR column. The fraction containing the GPAT activity was analysed by SDS-PAGE and contained a major band of 60.1 kDa. Finally, evidence is provided which shows the role of GPAT in the asymmetrical distribution, between positions sn-1 and sn-3, of saturated fatty acids in highly saturated sunflower triacylglycerols. This work provides background information on the sunflower endoplasmic reticulum GPAT which may prove valuable for future modification of oil deposition in this important crop.     

Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase Contributes to Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis,Lipid Droplet Formation,and Host Invasion in Metarhizium robertsii

Enzymes involved in the triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis have been well studied in the model organisms of yeasts and animals. Among these, the isoforms of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) redundantly catalyze the first and rate-limiting step in glycerolipid synthesis. Here, we report the functions of mrGAT, a GPAT ortholog, in an insect-pathogenic fungus, Metarhizium robertsii. Unlike in yeasts and animals, a single copy of the mrGAT gene is present in the fungal genome and the gene deletion mutant is viable. Compared to the wild type and the gene-rescued mutant, the ΔmrGAT mutant demonstrated reduced abilities to produce conidia and synthesize TAG, glycerol, and total lipids. More importantly, we found that mrGAT is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and directly linked to the formation of lipid droplets (LDs) in fungal cells. Insect bioassay results showed that mrGAT is required for full fungal virulence by aiding fungal penetration of host cuticles. Data from this study not only advance our understanding of GPAT functions in fungi but also suggest that filamentous fungi such as M. robertsii can serve as a good model to elucidate the role of the glycerol phosphate pathway in fungal physiology, particularly to determine the mechanistic connection of GPAT to LD formation.     

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-2 is expressed in spermatic germ cells and incorporates arachidonic Acid into triacylglycerols

Background

De novo glycerolipid synthesis begins with the acylation of glycerol-3 phosphate catalyzed by glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT). In mammals, at least four GPAT isoforms have been described, differing in their cell and tissue locations and sensitivity to sulfhydryl reagents. In this work we show that mitochondrial GPAT2 overexpression in CHO-K1 cells increased TAG content and both GPAT and AGPAT activities 2-fold with arachidonoyl-CoA as a substrate, indicating specificity for this fatty acid.

Methods and Results

Incubation of GPAT2-transfected CHO-K1 cells with [1-¹⁴C]arachidonate for 3 h increased incorporation of [¹⁴C]arachidonate into TAG by 40%. Consistently, arachidonic acid was present in the TAG fraction of cells that overexpressed GPAT2, but not in control cells, corroborating GPAT2''s role in synthesizing TAG that is rich in arachidonic acid. In rat and mouse testis, Gpat2 mRNA was expressed only in primary spermatocytes; the protein was also detected in late stages of spermatogenesis. During rat sexual maturation, both the testicular TAG content and the arachidonic acid content in the TAG fraction peaked at 30 d, matching the highest expression of Gpat2 mRNA and protein.

Conclusions

These results strongly suggest that GPAT2 expression is linked to arachidonoyl-CoA incorporation into TAG in spermatogenic germ cells.     

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases: Rate limiting enzymes of triacylglycerol biosynthesis

Four homologous isoforms of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), each the product of a separate gene, catalyze the synthesis of lysophosphatidic acid from glycerol-3-phosphate and long-chain acyl-CoA. This step initiates the synthesis of all the glycerolipids and evidence from gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies in mice and in cell culture strongly suggests that each isoform contributes to the synthesis of triacylglycerol. Much work remains to fully delineate the regulation of each GPAT isoform and its individual role in triacylglycerol synthesis.     

Purification and characterisation of acyl-CoA: glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) tissues

Glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT, EC 2.3.15) catalyses the first step of the Kennedy pathway for acyl lipid formation. This enzyme was studied using high-speed particulate fractions from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) tissue cultures and mesocarp acetone powders. The fractions were incubated with [¹⁴C]glycerol 3-phosphate and incorporation of radioactivity into Kennedy pathway intermediates studied. Optimal conditions were broadly similar between the two preparations but those from fruit mesocarp clearly contained more active enzymes for the subsequent stages of the Kennedy pathway – as exemplified by the appreciable accumulation of radioactivity in triacylglycerol. Experiments with different acyl-CoA substrates showed that the GPAT in both high-speed particulate preparations had a significant preference for palmitate. Glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase was solubilised from both preparations with optimal solubilisation being achieved at 0.5% (w/v) CHAPS concentrations. Solubilised GPATs were purified further using DE52 ion-exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-100 molecular exclusion chromatography. Purifications of up to about 70-fold were achieved. The purified GPATs showed a strong preference for palmitoyl-CoA compared to other acyl-CoA donors, in keeping with the importance of palmitate in palm oil. Received: 22 April 1999 / Accepted: 29 July 1999     

sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases in plants

sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) catalyzes the acylation at sn-1 position of glycerol-3-phosphate to produce lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA is an important intermediate for the formation of different types of acyl-lipids, such as extracellular lipid polyesters, storage and membrane lipids. Three types of GPAT have been found in plants, localizing to the plastid, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria. These GPATs are involved in several lipid biosynthetic pathways and play important biological roles in plant development. In the present review, we will focus on the recent progress in studying the physiological functions of GPATs and their metabolic roles in glycerolipid biosynthesis.     

The role of mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-1 in regulating lipid and glucose homeostasis in high-fat diet fed mice

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) is involved in triacylglycerol (TAG) and phospholipid synthesis, catalyzing the first committed step. In order to further investigate the in vivo importance of the dominating mitochondrial variant, GPAT1, a novel GPAT1^−/− mouse model was generated and studied. Female GPAT1^−/− mice had reduced body weight-gain and adiposity when fed chow diet compared with littermate wild-type controls. Furthermore, GPAT1^−/− females on chow diet showed decreased liver TAG content, plasma cholesterol and TAG levels and increased ex vivo liver fatty acid oxidation and plasma ketone bodies. However, these beneficial effects were abolished and the glucose tolerance tended to be impaired when GPAT1^−/− females were fed a long-term high-fat diet (HFD). GPAT1-deficiency was not associated with altered whole body energy expenditure or respiratory exchange ratio. In addition, there were no changes in male GPAT1^−/− mice fed either diet except for increased plasma ketone bodies on chow diet, indicating a gender-specific phenotype. Thus, GPAT1-deficiency does not protect against HFD-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis or whole body glucose intolerance.     

冷胁迫下王百合GPAT基因保守区克隆及表达分析

以王百合为试验材料,通过同源克隆和巢式PCR方法从4℃低温诱导的王百合试管苗中分离得到了王百合GPAT基因的保守区序列,采用DNAman软件和BLASTN对该序列进行分析并分别从蛋白和基因角度分析了GPAT基因在4℃冷诱导情况下的表达情况.结果显示:(1)该保守区长744 bp,推测其编码247个氨基酸,氨基酸序列存在1个高度保守的区域(WIAPSGGRDRP),经过Blast比对分析发现,该保守区序列为LPLAT基因超级家族酶类的催化活性区,此家族多为催化酰基辅酶A(acylCoAs)或者酰基载体蛋白(acylACPs)中的酰基与受体蛋白结合的酰基转移酶类.(2)冷诱导促进GPAT基因的表达,随冷诱导时间延长,基因表达量不断增大,诱导4 h有大量表达,16 h表达量达到最高,16 h之后表达量随着冷诱导时间的延长逐渐下降,72 h时的表达量与0 h处理时基本一致.研究表明,GPAT在百合抵抗冷胁迫的过程中具有重要的作用.     

Enhancement of seed oil content by expression of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase genes

Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed with a plastidial safflower glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) and an Escherichia coli GPAT. The genes were used directly and in modified forms with, as applicable, the plastidial targeting sequence removed, and with an endoplasmic reticulum targeting sequence added. Seeds of plants transformed using only the vector were indistinguishable in oil content from wild-type control plants. All other gene constructs increased seed oil content. The unmodified safflower gene (spgpat) produced oil increases ranging from 10 to 21%. On average, the greatest increase (+22%) was observed in seeds of transformants carrying the spgpat with the targeting peptide removed. The E. coli plsB gene increased seed oil content by an average of 15%.     

How Do I Fatten Thee? Let Me Count the Ways…

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) initiates the synthesis of triacylglycerol and phospholipids and, in the process, regulates the formation of several lipid metabolites known to be intracellular signaling molecules. The recent identification of a new GPAT isoform (Cao et al., 2006) suggests a role for GPAT isoforms in nutrient-mediated signaling.     

Proteomic profiling of oil bodies isolated from the unicellular green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: with focus on proteins involved in lipid metabolism

Oil bodies are sites of energy and carbon storage in many organisms including microalgae. As a step toward deciphering oil accumulation mechanisms in algae, we used proteomics to analyze purified oil bodies from the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii grown under nitrogen deprivation. Among the 248 proteins (≥ 2 peptides) identified by LC-MS/MS, 33 were putatively involved in the metabolism of lipids (mostly acyl-lipids and sterols). Compared with a recently reported Chlamydomonas oil body proteome, 19 new proteins of lipid metabolism were identified, spanning the key steps of the triacylglycerol synthesis pathway and including a glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), a lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT) and a putative phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT). In addition, proteins putatively involved in deacylation/reacylation, sterol synthesis, lipid signaling and lipid trafficking were found to be associated with the oil body fraction. This data set thus provides evidence that Chlamydomonas oil bodies are not only storage compartments but also are dynamic structures likely to be involved in processes such as oil synthesis, degradation and lipid homeostasis. The proteins identified here should provide useful targets for genetic studies aiming at increasing our understanding of triacyglycerol synthesis and the role of oil bodies in microalgal cell functions.     

Analysis of amino acid motifs diagnostic for the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase reaction

Alignment of amino acid sequences from various acyltransferases [sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT), acyl-CoA:dihydroxyacetone-phosphate acyltransferase (DHAPAT), 2-acylglycerophosphatidylethanolamine acyltransferase (LPEAT)] reveals four regions of strong homology, which we have labeled blocks I-IV. The consensus sequence for each conserved region is as follows: block I, [NX]-H-[RQ]-S-X-[LYIM]-D; block II, G-X-[IF]-F-I-[RD]-R; block III, F-[PLI]-E-G-[TG]-R-[SX]-[RX]; and block IV, [VI]-[PX]-[IVL]-[IV]-P-[VI]. We hypothesize that blocks I-IV and, in particular, the invariant amino acids contained within these regions form a catalytically important site in this family of acyltransferases. Using Escherichia coli GPAT (PlsB) as a model acyltransferase, we examined the role of the highly conserved amino acid residues in blocks I-IV in GPAT activity through chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis experiments. We found that the histidine and aspartate in block I, the glycine in block III, and the proline in block IV all play a role in E. coli GPAT catalysis. The phenylalanine and arginine in block II and the glutamate and serine in block III appear to be important in binding the glycerol 3-phosphate substrate. Since blocks I-IV are also found in LPAAT, DHAPAT, and LPEAT, we believe that these conserved amino acid motifs are diagnostic for the acyltransferase reaction involving glycerol 3-phosphate, 1-acylglycerol 3-phosphate, and dihydroxyacetone phosphate substrates.     

小桐子甘油-3-磷酸酰基转移酶（JcGPAT）cDNA的克隆与序列分析

甘油-3-磷酸酰基转移酶是植物生物合成储存油脂过程中的关键酶,对油料作物种子含油量具有重要的限制作用。本研究以植物甘油-3-磷酸酰基转移酶同源基因的保守区域序列为基础,设计简并引物,结合RACE技术,从能源植物小桐子种子中克隆获得JcGPAT基因的cDNA全长序列（GenBank登录号HQ395225）。JcGPAT cDNA核苷酸序列长度为1672bp,开放阅读框为1125bp,编码375个氨基酸。该基因具有明显的GPAT基因结构域,其编码的氨基酸序列与油桐、蓖麻等植物具有很高的同源性。RT-PCR表达分析表明,该基因在小桐子发育的种子、叶、根尖等多个组织表达。     

A synthetic biology approach to the construction of membrane proteins in semi-synthetic minimal cells

Synthetic biology is an emerging field that aims at constructing artificial biological systems by combining engineering and molecular biology approaches. One of the most ambitious research line concerns the so-called semi-synthetic minimal cells, which are liposome-based system capable of synthesizing the lipids within the liposome surface. This goal can be reached by reconstituting membrane proteins within liposomes and allow them to synthesize lipids. This approach, that can be defined as biochemical, was already reported by us (Schmidli et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 113, 8127-8130, 1991). In more advanced models, however, a full reconstruction of the biochemical pathway requires (1) the synthesis of functional membrane enzymes inside liposomes, and (2) the local synthesis of lipids as catalyzed by the in situ synthesized enzymes. Here we show the synthesis and the activity - inside liposomes - of two membrane proteins involved in phospholipids biosynthesis pathway. The proteins, sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) and lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT), have been synthesized by using a totally reconstructed cell-free system (PURE system) encapsulated in liposomes. The activities of internally synthesized GPAT and LPAAT were confirmed by detecting the produced lysophosphatidic acid and phosphatidic acid, respectively. Through this procedure, we have implemented the first phase of a design aimed at synthesizing phospholipid membrane from liposome within from within — which corresponds to the autopoietic growth mechanism.     

A Land-Plant-Specific Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase Family in Arabidopsis: Substrate Specificity, sn-2 Preference, and Evolution

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has eight glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) genes that are members of a plant-specific family with three distinct clades. Several of these GPATs are required for the synthesis of cutin or suberin. Unlike GPATs with sn-1 regiospecificity involved in membrane or storage lipid synthesis, GPAT4 and -6 are unique bifunctional enzymes with both sn-2 acyltransferase and phosphatase activity resulting in 2-monoacylglycerol products. We present enzymology, pathway organization, and evolutionary analysis of this GPAT family. Within the cutin-associated clade, GPAT8 is demonstrated as a bifunctional sn-2 acyltransferase/phosphatase. GPAT4, -6, and -8 strongly prefer C16:0 and C18:1 ω-oxidized acyl-coenzyme As (CoAs) over unmodified or longer acyl chain substrates. In contrast, suberin-associated GPAT5 can accommodate a broad chain length range of ω-oxidized and unsubstituted acyl-CoAs. These substrate specificities (1) strongly support polyester biosynthetic pathways in which acyl transfer to glycerol occurs after oxidation of the acyl group, (2) implicate GPAT specificities as one major determinant of cutin and suberin composition, and (3) argue against a role of sn-2-GPATs (Enzyme Commission 2.3.1.198) in membrane/storage lipid synthesis. Evidence is presented that GPAT7 is induced by wounding, produces suberin-like monomers when overexpressed, and likely functions in suberin biosynthesis. Within the third clade, we demonstrate that GPAT1 possesses sn-2 acyltransferase but not phosphatase activity and can utilize dicarboxylic acyl-CoA substrates. Thus, sn-2 acyltransferase activity extends to all subbranches of the Arabidopsis GPAT family. Phylogenetic analyses of this family indicate that GPAT4/6/8 arose early in land-plant evolution (bryophytes), whereas the phosphatase-minus GPAT1 to -3 and GPAT5/7 clades diverged later with the appearance of tracheophytes.sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate 1-O-acyltransferase (GPAT; Enzyme Commission [EC] 2.3.1.15) is the first enzyme in the pathway for the de novo synthesis of membrane and storage lipids. It catalyzes the transfer of an acyl group from acyl-CoA or acyl-ACP to the sn-1 position of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P). This reaction has been extensively characterized in bacteria, fungi, animals, and plants (Murata and Tasaka, 1997; Zheng and Zou, 2001; Gimeno and Cao, 2008; Zhang and Rock, 2008; Wendel et al., 2009; Chen et al., 2011a). In the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome, there are 10 genes annotated as GPATs. One of these is the soluble, plastid-localized GPAT (At1g32200) that utilizes acyl-ACP substrates and exhibits sn-1 acyl transfer regiospecificity (Nishida et al., 1993). A second enzyme is GPAT9 (At5g60620), which is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (Gidda et al., 2009) and may be an acyl-CoA-dependent sn-1 GPAT that enables nonplastid glycerolipid synthesis. The remaining eight GPATs cluster together in a family (Zheng et al., 2003; Beisson et al., 2007; Gidda et al., 2009) that is not required for membrane or storage lipid biosynthesis; instead, several members of the family clearly affect the composition and quantity of cutin or suberin (Beisson et al., 2012).Cutin and suberin are extracellular lipid barriers deposited by certain types of plant cells. These insoluble polymers, and associated waxes, function to control water, gas, and ion fluxes and serve as physical barriers to protect plants from pathogen invasion (Kolattukudy, 2001; Schreiber, 2010; Ranathunge et al., 2011). From an evolutionary perspective, the appearance of these lipid barriers was likely a requirement for the adaptation of plants to a terrestrial environment (Rensing et al., 2008). ω-oxidized fatty acids and glycerol are usually major constituents of both polymers (Bernards, 2002; Graça and Santos, 2007; Pollard et al., 2008). The detailed structures of cutin and suberin polymers are still largely unknown (Pollard et al., 2008), but direct esterification of fatty acids to glycerol and to each other has been demonstrated in a large number of partial depolymerization studies of cutin and suberin (Graça and Santos, 2007; Graça and Lamosa, 2010). In Arabidopsis, GPAT4 and GPAT8 are required for the accumulation of C16 and C18 ω-hydroxy fatty acid (ω-OHFA) and α,ω-dicarboxylic acid (DCA) cutin monomers in stems and leaves (Li et al., 2007a). GPAT6 is required for the incorporation of the following C16 monomers: 10,16-dihydroxypalmitate (10,16-diOH C16:0-FA), hexadecane-1,16-dioic acid (C16:0-DCA), and 16-hydroxypalmitate (16-OH C16:0-FA), into flower cutin (Li-Beisson et al., 2009). (For a fatty acid, the abbreviation used is Cm:n-FA, where m is the number of carbon atoms and n is the number of double bonds. The position and number of hydroxyl groups precedes this notation. The same nomenclature is used for DCAs.) GPAT5 controls the accumulation of C22:0- and C24:0-FA, ω-OHFA, and DCA monomers in the suberin of roots and seed coats (Beisson et al., 2007). Recently, we demonstrated that GPAT4 and -6 are bifunctional enzymes that possess sn-2 acyltransferase and phosphatase activities (Yang et al., 2010) and that therefore produce sn-2 monoacylglycerols (MAGs) as the major product. GPAT5 also exhibits strong preference for sn-2 acylation but lacks phosphatase activity; thus, sn-2 lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) are its major product (Yang et al., 2010).These observations all attest to the fact that several members of the GPAT1 to -8 family are enzymatically very distinct from the GPATs required for membrane and storage lipid biosynthesis. Indeed, they represent a new acylglycerol biosynthesis pathway that provides precursors for cutin and suberin biosynthesis. To better understand the early steps in polyester synthesis and the roles contributed by GPAT4 to -8, and to determine whether the clade of GPAT1 to -3 has distinct or similar activity, we have characterized the regiochemistry and acyl substrate specificity of GPATs representing all three clades. We show that the cutin-associated GPAT8 is a bifunctional sn-2 acyltransferase/phosphatase, while GPAT1, an isozyme with uncertain function but important for tapetum and anther development (Zheng et al., 2003; Li et al., 2012), possesses sn-2 acyltransferase activity but not phosphatase activity. An important issue in defining the pathway of cutin/suberin biosynthesis is whether to place the P450 oxidation reactions before or after the G3P acylation reactions. As discussed (Pollard et al., 2008), previous evidence has not allowed definitive determination of the alternative pathways. However, conducting a GPAT substrate specificity study, particularly with a range of ω-oxidized and unmodified acyl-CoAs can help clarify the situation. Here, we show the acyl-CoA specificities of GPAT4, -5, -6, and -8 are concordant with the compositions of their respective cutins and suberins and the resulting changes in corresponding gpat mutants and overexpression lines. Furthermore, the results provide strong evidence that acyl transfer to glycerol by GPAT occurs after ω-oxidation of acyl chains, thus increasing our limited understanding of the biochemical pathway for cutin and suberin polymer assembly.A phylogenetic analysis of Arabidopsis GPATs with vascular and nonvascular land-plant homologs provides an evolutionary view of the expansion and divergence of the gene family into three distinct clades that are associated with morphological and functional evolution and with the loss of phosphatase activity.