The Metabolism, Structure, and Function of Plant Lipids

The Seventh International Symposium on the Structure and Function of Plant Lipids took place at the University of California, Davis, California July 27th to August 1st, 1986. This was the first time the Symposium was held in the United States. The list of previous host cities reads, Norwich, Karlsruhe, Goteborg, Paris, Groningen, Neuchatel. The addition of Davis to this distinguished list was made by the organizers with the doubts of people who give invitations to parties - will anybody come? In fact 155 participants registered and there were 21 spouses in attendance. The scientific program was composed of nine sessions: biochemistry of isoprenoids and sterols, function of isoprenoids and sterols, structure and function of lipids, biosynthesis of complex lipids, fatty acid oxygenases and desaturases, medium and long chain fatty acids, interaction of university, government and industrial research, algal lipids, and genetics and biotechnology. In addition to these sessions of plenary lectures, there were four poster sessions in which about 140 posters were presented. All of this was packed into four days, and there was some comment about the scarcity of time to ask questions of the speakers, discuss the posters and even to eat lunch. The compression of the program was a result of the continued desire of the organizing committees to avoid concurrent sessions. The congregation of participants into a single session increases interaction and generates a feeling of unity at these symposia.

Biosynthesis and Function of Sterols and Other Isoprenoids.- Multiple Roles for Plant Sterols.- Stereochemistry of Monoterpene Cyclization.- Diterpenes - The Gibberellin Biosynthetic Pathway in Zeamays.- Synthesis of Plastoquinone-9, ?-Tocopherol and Phylloquinone (Vitamin K1) and Its Integration in Chloroplast Carbon Metabolism of Higher Plants.- Carotenoid Biosynthesis and Carotenogenic Enzymes in Plastids.- Cell Walls and Secondary Products as Obstacles to Plant Enzyme Isolation: Problems and Solutions, Including a Simple Liquid Nitrogen Homogenizer for Bulk Tissue Extraction.- Developmental Regulation of Sterol and Pentacyclic Triterpene Biosynthesis and Composition: A Correlation with Sorghum Floral Initiation.- Effect of Intracellular Sterol Concentration on Sterol Esterification in Yeast.- Functional Organization of Carotenoids and Prenylquinones in the Photosynthetic Membrane.- Arachidonic and Eicosapentaenoic Acids, Glucans and Calcium as Regulators of Resistance to a Plant Disease.- Presence of Unusually High Levels of Cholesterol in the Shoot-Apices of Flowering Plants.- Changes in Sterol Biosynthesis From [2-14C]Mevalonic Acid During Development of Cucurbitamaxima Seedlings.- Inhibition of Growth of Celery Cells by Paclobutrazol and Its Reversal by Added Sterols.- The Steryl Esters of Higher Plants.- Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Fungal Bioregulators of Sterol Biosynthesis.- A Comparison of Sterol and Long Chain Fatty Alcohol Biosynthesis in Sorghumbicolor.- Regulation of Terpenoid Biosynthesis in Tapped Latex.- Triterpenoid Biosynthesis in Euphorbialathyris.- Phytosterol Structure and Composition in the Chemosystematics of the Caryophyllales.- Biosynthesis of Diterpene Phytoalexin Precursors in Cell-free Extracts of Rice.- Endogenous Gibberellins in Wheat Shoots.- Molecular Associations in Lipid-carotenoid Monolayers.- Separation and Identification of Carotenoid-esters in Red Pepper /Capsicumannum/ During Ripening.- On the Biosynthesis of Fragrance Compounds in Ambrette (Hibiscusabelmoschus) Seeds.- Structure and Function of Lipids.- Structural and Dynamic Aspects of Membrane Lipids.- Lipid Saturation by Catalytic Hydrogenation and Its Effect on Membrane Structure and Function.- Spatial Organization and Functional Roles of Acyl Lipids in Thylakoid Membranes.- Ultrastructural Studies on Plant Membranes.- Evidences for Different Acyl Lipid Domains in Spinach and Oat Thylakoid Membranes Supporting Various Photosynthetic Functions.- Phase Transition Behavior of Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol.- Is Monogalactosyl Diacylglycerol Involved in the Packaging of Light-harvesting Chlorophyll Proteins in the Thylakoid Membrane?.- Mechanisms of Lipid-protein Binding in Photosynthetic Membranes.- Lipid Molecular Species Composition of Granal and Stromal Lamellae.- On the Function of Methyl-branched Chain Fatty Acids in Phospholipids of Cell Membranes of Higher Plants.- Freezing Resistance and Lipid Changes in Choline-treated Wheat Seedlings.- Drought Stress Effects on Root Cell Membranes.- Manipulating Membrane Fatty Acid Compositions of Soybean Plants.- Plasma Membrane Lipid Alterations Following Cold Acclimation: Possible Relevance to Freeze Tolerance.- Plasma Membrane and Tonoplast Fractions Isolated from Spinach Leaves by Preparative Free Flow Electrophoresis: Effect of Photoinduction.- Study of the Intracellular Transfer of Lipids to the Plasmalemma.- Ca2+ and Inter-molecular Bridging of Membranal Phospholipids and Proteins.- A Membrane-located, Calcium-/Calmodulin-activated Phospholipase Stimulated by Auxin.- Regulation of Phospholipase Activity in Potato Leaves by Protein Phosphorylation-dephosphorylation and Proteolytic Activation.- Biosynthesis of Complex Lipids.- Synthesis and Degradation of Lipid Bodies in the Scutella of Maize.- On the Control of Fatty Acid Compositions of Plant Glycerolipids.- Lipid Distribution and Synthesis Within the Plant Cell.- Regulation of Phospholipid Headgroup Composition in Castor Bean Endosperm.- Molecular Species of Phosphatidylcholine In Plants: Biosynthesis and Role In Oleate Desaturation or Freezing Resistance.- Factors Affecting the Fatty Acid Composition of Phosphatidylglycerol as Related to Chilling Sensitivity in Higher Plants.- On the Synthesis of Digalactosyldiacylglycerol in Chloroplasts, and Its Relation to Monogalactolipid Synthesis.- Characterization of Galactosyltransferases in Spinach Chloroplast Envelope Membranes — Applications of an Assay for UDPGal: Diacylglycerol Galactosyltransferase.- Galactosyltransferase Activities in Intact Spinach Chloroplasts and Envelope Membranes.- Biosynthesis of Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol in Chloroplasts of Higher Plants.- Sulfolipid Synthesis by Isolated Intact Spinach Chloroplasts.- Calcium Chloride Effect on Glycerolipids Metabolism in Olive Tree Leaf.- Lipid Metabolism in Potato Leaf Discs: Effect of Calmodulin Antagonists.- Localization and Properties of Cholinephosphate Cytidylyltransferase Activity in Castor Bean Endosperm.- Choline Kinase Activity in Castor Bean Endosperm.- The Control of CTP: Cholinephosphate Cytidylyltransferase in Pea Stems.- Cocoa Butter Biosynthesis. Cocoa Seed Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase: Studies on the Microsomal Bound Enzyme.- Substrate Specificity of Plant Lipases.- Lipids from Rice Anthers.- Lipids of Soybean Inoculated with Microsymbionts.- Properties and invitro Synthesis of Phospholipid Transfer Proteins.- Galactolipid Synthesis in Isolated Pea Chloroplasts.- Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis in Developing Cotyledons of Safflower (Carthamustinctorius).- Long Chain Triacylglycerol Acyl Hydrolase (Lipase) Activity in Wheat Grain.- Glycoprotein Nature of Lypolytic Acyl Hydrolases in Potato Tubers and Leaves.- Correlation of Metabolic Rate Changes and Membrane Transitions Determined by Microcalorimetric Methods.- Molecular Species Composition of Phosphatidylglycerol in Leaves of Camellia Species and Chilling Sensitivity.- Oxygen Requiring Systems — Oxygenases and Desaturases.- The Lipoxygenase Pathway.- Enzymic Oxygenative-cleavage Reaction of Linolenic Acid in Leaves — Chloroplastic Lipoxygenase and Fatty Acid Hydroperoxide Lyase in Tea Leaves.- Fatty Acid ?-Oxidation in Higher Plants.- Desaturation of Fatty Acids on Complex-lipid Substrates.- Rapid Enzymic Peroxidation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Hydration of Wheat Milling Products.- Action of Boron on Ethylene Production and Lipoxygenase Activity in Microsomes From Sunflower Cotyledons.- Preliminary Characterization of Lipoxygenase From the Entomopathogenic Fungus Lagenidiumgiganteum.- Characterization of Tomato Lipoxygenase.- Multiple Pathways of Linolenic Acid Synthesis Operate and Interact in Leaf Tissue.- The Effect of Temperature on Desaturation of Galactolipid Fatty Acids in Brassicanapus.- Acyl Lipid Metabolism in Rhodotorulagracilis (CBS 3043) and the Effects of Methyl Sterculate on Fatty Acid Desaturation.- Metabolism of Eicosapolyenoic Acid Lipids in Race Specific Interactions Between Phytophthorainfestans and Potato.- Medium and Long Chain Biosynthesis.- Modulation of Fatty Acid Synthesis in Plants by Thiolactomycin.- Fatty Acid Synthesis in Developing Oilseeds.- Medium and Long-chain Fatty Acid Synthesis.- Cuticular Lipids in Plant-microbe Interactions.- Plant Elongases.- Genes, Elongases and Associated Enzyme Systems in Epicuticular Wax Synthesis.- The Purification of Acetyl CoA: Acyl Carrier Protein Transacylase from Brassicacampestris Leaves.- Regulation of Acetyl Coenzyme A Synthesis in Chloroplasts.- Lipid Precursors in Plant Cells: The Problem of Acetyl CoA Generation for Plastid Fatty Acid Synthesis.- Partial Purification and Characterization of Acetyl-CoA Synthetase from Mature Spinach Leaves.- Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase and Biotin-containing Proteins in Carrot Somatic Embryogenesis.- Pyruvate Reversal of S-Ethyl Dipropylcarbamothioate (EPTC) Inhibition of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex.- Acyl-CoA Elongation Systems in Alliumporrum Microsomes.- Lipid Biosynthesis in Oil Palm Protoplasts.- Identification of Proteins Associated with Changes in the Linolenate Content of Soybean Cotyledons.- Acyltransferases in Developing Seeds of Oilseed Rape.- Properties of Acyl-(Acyl-Carrier Protein): Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase from Greening Squash Cotyledons.- Lipid Biosynthesis in Epidermal, Guard and Mesophyll Cell Protoplasts from Leaves of Viciafaba L.- Ontogenetic Variations in the Chemical Composition of Maize Surface Lipids.- Mechanism of Biosynthesis of ?-Diketones and Alkan-2-OL Esters from Epicuticular Waxes.- Epicuticular Wax Formation on Needles of Piceaabies and Pinuscembra.- Interaction of Federal, Industrial and Academic Research.- Inter-organizational Collaboration: A Key to Success in Technological Innovation.- The Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia — A Unique Research Unit.- Biotechnology of Lipids in Industry.- Algal Lipids.- Little Known Facts of Plant Lipid Metabolism.- Unique Characteristics of Cyanobacterial Glycerolipids.- Lipids of Diatoms and of Halophilic Dunaliella Species.- Metabolism of Galactolipids in Dunaliellasalina.- Sterol Synthesis and Distribution and Algal Phylogeny.- Lipids of Acetabulariamediterranea. Composition, Cellular Localization and Biosynthesis.- The Effect of Environmental Conditions on Fatty Acid Composition of the Red Alga Porphyridiumcruentum.- Nile Red: A Fluorophore Useful in Assessing the Relative Lipid Content of Single Cells.- Lipid Accumulation in Silicon - Deficient Diatoms.- Composition and Positional Distribution of Fatty Acids in Lipids from the Diatom Phaeodactylumtricornutum.- Lipid Metabolism in Two Species of Red Marine Algae as Modified by Environmental Factors.- Lipids of Chattonellaantiqua (Raphidophyceae).- The Future - Genetics/Biotechnology.- The Future - Genetics/Biotechnology.- Genetic Manipulation of Oilseed Quality.- Biotechnology in the Improvement of the Oil Palm.- Mutants of Arabidopsis Deficient in Fatty Acid Desaturation.- Acyl Carrier Protein as a Probe of the Molecular Biology of Plant Fatty Acid Synthesis.- Oil Seed Rape Acyl Carrier Protein (ACP): Protein and Gene Structure.- Complete Amino Acid Sequence of Non-specific Lipid Transfer Protein from Castor Bean Seeds.- A Possible Differential Role for Plant Acyl Carrier Protein Isoforms in Higher Plants.- A Preliminary Characterization of Plant Holo-Acyl Carrier Protein Synthase.- Physiological and Transformational Analyses of Lipoxygenases.