Triacylglycerols (tags, the main component of plant oils), are the most energy-dense carbon reserves produced by plants, and supply humans with much of the calories and essential fatty acids (FAS)…

Washington State University received a $649,993 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), with an award date of September 1, 2025, and a completion date of August 31, 2028. The project investigates triacylglycerol (TAG) remodeling—a novel metabolic pathway in plant oil biosynthesis—to develop improved methods for controlling fatty acid composition in oilseed crops. The research comprises three primary objectives: (1) evaluating the capacity of diacylglycerol acyltransferase enzymes (DGAT1s and DGAT2s) across five Brassicaceae species to utilize TAG remodeling intermediates; (2) identifying lipases involved in TAG remodeling and their selectivity for specific fatty acids; and (3) producing designer oils through controlled modulation of TAG remodeling function to generate improved oilseed varieties for the cosmetic and chemical industries.

A sub-award of the grant was issued to Kansas State University on October 16, 2025, through its Pre-Awards Services division. The Parchuri Lab at Kansas State University will contribute to Objective 1 by cloning and expressing DGAT1/2 coding sequences from five Brassicaceae species in yeast systems and conducting in vitro enzyme assays to determine enzymatic activity and selectivity toward different diacylglycerol enantiomers. Results from this comparative enzyme characterization will identify candidate DGAT isoforms critical to TAG remodeling mechanisms and will be incorporated into collaborative publications, technical reports, and conference presentations.

Triacylglycerols (tags, the main component of plant oils), are the most energy-dense carbon reserves produced by plants, and supply humans with much of the calories and essential fatty acids (FAS) required in our diet. Additionally, various plant tags have unique properties that can be used as feedstocks for the cosmetic and chemical industries to make a large range of valuable products. The use and value of plant oils for each application is dependent on the FA composition of the oil. Despite over 50 years of research, there has been only limited success in accurately modifying the FA composition of seed oils to desired compositions. Recently, we discovered a novel metabolic pathway of oil biosynthesis, coined tag remodeling, in the brassicaceae species physaria fenderli. Tag remodeling involves an initial tag synthesis, partial degradation, and resynthesis cycle that allows the incorporation of FAS into tag that are not compatible with the membrane lipid intermediates of initial tag biosynthesis. We hypothesize that tag remodeling is present in other brassicaceae species (including major oilseed crops) and is crucial for controlling the final oil FA composition. Within this proposal we will: (1) investigate the presence of tag remodeling in five current brassicaceae crops; (2) characterize the properties of tag biosynthesis/turnover enzymes for their ability to produce different tag FA compositions; and (3) evaluate if modulation of tag remodeling function (by either decreasing or increasing activity) can be a tool for controlling seed oil FA composition and generating the designer oilseeds of the future.