Analysis of short‐term changes in the Arabidopsis thaliana glycerolipidome in response to temperature and light

Summary Although the influence of temperature, particularly cold, on lipid metabolism is well established, previous studies have focused on long‐term responses and have largely ignored the influence of other interacting environmental factors. Here, we present a time‐resolved analysis of the early responses of the glycerolipidome of Arabidopsis thaliana plants exposed to various temperatures (4, 21 and 32°C) and light intensities (darkness, 75, 150 and 400 μmol m−2 s−1), including selected combinations. Using a UPLC/MS‐based lipidomic platform, we reproducibly measured most glycerolipid species reported for Arabidopsis leaves, including the classes phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI) phosphatidylglycerol (PG), monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG). In addition to known lipids, we have identified previously unobserved compounds, such as 36‐C PGs and eukaryotic phospholipids containing 16:3 acyl chains. Occurrence of these lipid species implies the action of new biochemical mechanisms. Exposition of Arabidopsis plants to various light and temperature regimes results in two major effects. The first is the dependence of the saturation level of PC and MGDG pools on light intensity, likely arising from light regulation of de novo fatty acid synthesis. The second concerns an immediate decrease in unsaturated species of PG at high‐temperature conditions (32°C), which could mark the first stages of adaptation to heat‐stress conditions. Observed changes are discussed in the context of current knowledge, and new hypotheses have been formulated concerning the early stages of the plant response to changing light and temperature conditions.