Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Professor Tony Fawcett's Outputs (28)

Overexpression of phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase in Brassica napus results in changes in lipid metabolism and oil accumulation (2022)
Journal Article
Fenyk, S., Woodfield, H. K., Romsdahl, T. B., Wallington, E. J., Bates, R. E., Fell, D. A., Chapman, K. D., Fawcett, T., & Harwood, J. L. (2022). Overexpression of phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase in Brassica napus results in changes in lipid metabolism and oil accumulation. Biochemical Journal, 479(6), https://doi.org/10.1042/bcj20220003

The regulation of lipid metabolism in oil seeds is still not fully understood and increasing our knowledge in this regard is of great economic, as well as intellectual, importance. Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is a major global oil crop where increa... Read More about Overexpression of phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase in Brassica napus results in changes in lipid metabolism and oil accumulation.

Transgenic manipulation of triacylglycerol biosynthetic enzymes in B. napus alters lipid-associated gene expression and lipid metabolism (2022)
Journal Article
Liao, P., Lechon, T., Romsdahl, T., Woodfield, H., Fenyk, S., Fawcett, T., Wallington, E., Bates, R. E., Chye, M.-L., Chapman, K. D., Harwood, J. L., & Scofield, S. (2022). Transgenic manipulation of triacylglycerol biosynthetic enzymes in B. napus alters lipid-associated gene expression and lipid metabolism. Scientific Reports, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07387-x

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is an important crop that is cultivated for the oil (mainly triacylglycerol; TAG) it produces in its seeds. TAG synthesis is controlled mainly by key enzymes in the Kennedy pathway, such as glycerol 3-phosphate acyltrans... Read More about Transgenic manipulation of triacylglycerol biosynthetic enzymes in B. napus alters lipid-associated gene expression and lipid metabolism.

Increase in lysophosphatidate acyltransferase activity in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) increases seed triacylglycerol content despite its low intrinsic flux control coefficient (2019)
Journal Article
Woodfield, H. K., Fenyk, S., Wallington, E., Bates, R. E., Brown, A., Guschina, I. A., Marillia, E.-F., Taylor, D. C., Fell, D., Harwood, J. L., & Fawcett, T. (2019). Increase in lysophosphatidate acyltransferase activity in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) increases seed triacylglycerol content despite its low intrinsic flux control coefficient. New Phytologist, 224(2), 700-711. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16100

Lysophosphatidate acyltransferase (LPAAT) catalyses the second step of the Kennedy pathway for triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. Here we express Trapaeolum majus LPAAT in Brassica napus (B. napus) cv 12075 to evaluate the effects on lipid synthesis an... Read More about Increase in lysophosphatidate acyltransferase activity in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) increases seed triacylglycerol content despite its low intrinsic flux control coefficient.

The Challenges of Going Global with Undergraduate Research: The Matariki Undergraduate Research Network (2018)
Journal Article
Spronken-Smith, R., Sandover, S., Partridge, L., Leger, A., Fawcett, T., & Burd, L. (2018). The Challenges of Going Global with Undergraduate Research: The Matariki Undergraduate Research Network. Scholarship and practice of undergraduate research, 2(2), 64-72. https://doi.org/10.18833/spur/2/2/8

To determine the logistics, benefits, and challenges of developing and implementing an international undergraduate research network, the authors analyzed the Matariki Undergraduate Research Network (MURN). MURN attempted to connect undergraduate stud... Read More about The Challenges of Going Global with Undergraduate Research: The Matariki Undergraduate Research Network.

Metabolic control analysis of developing oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv Westar) embryos shows that lipid assembly exerts significant control over oil accumulation (2012)
Journal Article
Tang, M., Guschina, I., O’Hara, P., Slabas, A., Quant, P., Fawcett, T., & Harwood, J. (2012). Metabolic control analysis of developing oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv Westar) embryos shows that lipid assembly exerts significant control over oil accumulation. New Phytologist, 196(2), 414-426. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04262.x

Summary: • Metabolic control analysis allows the study of metabolic regulation. We applied both single‐ and double‐manipulation top‐down control analysis to examine the control of lipid accumulation in developing oilseed rape (Brassica napus) embryos... Read More about Metabolic control analysis of developing oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv Westar) embryos shows that lipid assembly exerts significant control over oil accumulation.

Functional analyses of differentially expressed isoforms of the Arabidopsis inositol phosphorylceramide synthase (2010)
Journal Article
Mina, J., Okada, Y., Wansadhipathi-Kannangara, N., Pratt, S., Shams-Eldin, H., Schwarz, R., …Denny, P. (2010). Functional analyses of differentially expressed isoforms of the Arabidopsis inositol phosphorylceramide synthase. Plant Molecular Biology, 73(4-5), 399-407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-010-9626-3

Sphingolipids are key components of eukaryotic plasma membranes that are involved in many functions, including the formation signal transduction complexes. In addition, these lipid species and their catabolites function as secondary signalling molecu... Read More about Functional analyses of differentially expressed isoforms of the Arabidopsis inositol phosphorylceramide synthase.

Beta-lactam resistance in Staphylococcus aureus cells that do not require a cell wall for integrity (2005)
Journal Article
Fuller, E., Elmer, C., Nattress, F., Ellis, R., Horne, G., Cook, P., & Fawcett, T. (2005). Beta-lactam resistance in Staphylococcus aureus cells that do not require a cell wall for integrity. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 49(12), 5075-5080. https://doi.org/10.1128/aac.49.12.5075-5080.2005

Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 9144 cells with defective cell walls were generated on a medium with elevated osmolality in the presence of sublethal levels of penicillin G. On removal of antibiotic pressure, the cells exhibited stable penicillin and meth... Read More about Beta-lactam resistance in Staphylococcus aureus cells that do not require a cell wall for integrity.

Squash glycerol-3-phosphate (1)-acyltransferase - Alteration of substrate selectivity and identification of arginine and lysineresidues important in catalytic activity (2002)
Journal Article
Slabas, A., Kroon, J., Scheirer, T., Gilroy, J., Hayman, M., Rice, D., …Simon, W. (2002). Squash glycerol-3-phosphate (1)-acyltransferase - Alteration of substrate selectivity and identification of arginine and lysineresidues important in catalytic activity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 277(46), 43918-43923. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m206429200

Glycerol-3-phosphate 1-acyltransferase is a soluble chloroplast enzyme involved in glycerol-lipid biosynthesis associated with chilling resistance in plants (1). Resistance is associated with higher selectivity for unsaturated acyl substrates over sa... Read More about Squash glycerol-3-phosphate (1)-acyltransferase - Alteration of substrate selectivity and identification of arginine and lysineresidues important in catalytic activity.

Fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes are expressed at constant molar ratios but different absolute levels during embryogenesis (2002)
Journal Article
O'Hara, P., Slabas, A., & Fawcett, T. (2002). Fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes are expressed at constant molar ratios but different absolute levels during embryogenesis. Plant Physiology, 129(1), 310-320. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.010956

In plants, fatty acid and complex lipid synthesis requires the correct spatial and temporal activity of many gene products. Quantitative northern analysis showed that mRNA for the biotin carboxylase subunit of heteromeric acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylas... Read More about Fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes are expressed at constant molar ratios but different absolute levels during embryogenesis.

Analysis of the Structure, Substrate Specificity, and Mechanism of Squash Glycerol-3-Phosphate (1)-Acyltransferase. (2001)
Journal Article
Turnbull, A., Rafferty, J., Sedelnikova, S., Slabas, A., Scheirer, T., Kroon, J., …Rice, D. (2001). Analysis of the Structure, Substrate Specificity, and Mechanism of Squash Glycerol-3-Phosphate (1)-Acyltransferase. Structure, 9(5), 347-353. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0969-2126%2801%2900595-0

Background: Glycerol-3-phosphate (1)-acyltransferase(G3PAT) catalyzes the incorporation of an acyl group from either acyl-acyl carrier proteins (acylACPs) or acyl-CoAs into the sn-1 position of glycerol 3-phosphate to yield 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate... Read More about Analysis of the Structure, Substrate Specificity, and Mechanism of Squash Glycerol-3-Phosphate (1)-Acyltransferase..

Fatty acid synthesis in developing leaves of Brassica napus in relation to leaf growth and changes in activity of 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase (2001)
Journal Article
O'Hara, P., Slabas, A., & Fawcett, T. (2001). Fatty acid synthesis in developing leaves of Brassica napus in relation to leaf growth and changes in activity of 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase. FEBS Letters, 488(1-2), 18-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0014-5793%2800%2902406-6

In young expanding leaves of Brassica napus, the demand for fatty acids is met by de novo biosynthesis of fatty acid synthase components, as demonstrated by 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase. Using a novel radio-chemical assay for 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase and s... Read More about Fatty acid synthesis in developing leaves of Brassica napus in relation to leaf growth and changes in activity of 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase.