Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry· 2026Q1
Acyltransferases in Microbial Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis: Structure, Mechanisms, Regulation, and Engineering
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Microbial production of triacylglycerols (TAGs) now focuses on precisely controlling TAG molecular structure, rather than just total yield, by engineering key acyltransferase enzymes (ATs).
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Key points
- Microbial TAG production is evolving from high yield to precise molecular structure control.
- Acyltransferases (ATs) are key enzymes that dictate TAG composition, chain length, and positional architecture.
- Five core AT families (GPAT, AGPAT, DGAT, WS/DGAT, PDAT) are discussed across bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and microalgae.
- Engineering strategies include AI-assisted design, enzyme engineering, and metabolic rewiring for structured TAGs.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are structurally diverse lipids whose functions are dictated by acyl composition, chain-length distribution, and sn-positional architecture. Microbial TAG production offers a sustainable route to bulk oils and high-value specialty lipids, yet the field has shifted from maximizing total lipid titers to precise control of TAG molecular structure. Acyltransferases (ATs) serve as key enzymatic nodes governing acyl-chain entry, positional incorporation, terminal TAG formation, and lipid droplet biogenesis. This review systematically covers five core AT families (GPAT, AGPAT, DGAT, WS/DGAT, PDAT) across bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and microalgae, highlighting their conserved catalytic motifs, membrane topology, substrate selectivity, and regulatory networks. We discuss engineering strategies including AI-assisted design, enzyme engineering, gene overexpression, metabolic rewiring, fermentation optimization, and multiomics-guided regulation, focusing on producing high-value structured TAGs such as human milk fat substitutes and very-long-chain TAGs. Future advances require synergistic integration of AT mechanisms, acyl-CoA supply, lipid droplet engineering, and scalable bioprocessing.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Biochemistry (Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology)
BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology