Polyunsaturated acyl lipids constitute approximately 50% of the hydrophobic membrane barriers that delineate the compartments of cells. The composition of these lipids is critically important for many membrane functions and, thus, for proper growth and development of all living organisms. In the model plant Arabidopsis, the isolation of mutants with altered lipid compositions has facilitated biochemical and molecular approaches to understanding lipid metabolism and membrane biogenesis. Just as importantly, the availability of a series of plant lines with specific changes in membrane lipids have provided a new resource to study the structural and adaptive roles of lipids. Now, the sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome, and the development of reverse-genetics approaches provide the tools needed to make additional discoveries about the relationships between lipid structure and membrane function in plant cells.

中文翻译：

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拟南芥的突变体揭示了膜脂质的许多作用。

多不饱和酰基脂质构成描绘细胞区室的疏水性膜屏障的大约50％。这些脂质的组成对于许多膜功能，因此对于所有活生物体的正常生长和发育至关重要。在模型植物拟南芥中，分离具有改变的脂质组成的突变体已经促进了生化和分子方法来理解脂质代谢和膜生物发生。同样重要的是，一系列具有膜脂质特定变化的植物系的可用性为研究脂质的结构和适应性作用提供了新资源。现在，拟南芥基因组的测序