The terminal step of triacylglycerol (TAG) formation is catalysed by the enzyme diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DAGAT), required for synthesis and storage of intracellular triglycerides [1,2,3]. In yeast, it is involved in lipid particle synthesis from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), promoting localised TAG production at discrete ER subdomains, and in ergosterol biosynthesis [1,4]. This family also includes Acyl-CoA wax alcohol acyltransferase 1 and 2 (AWAT1/2) which catalyse the formation of ester bonds between fatty alcohols and fatty acyl-CoAs to form wax monoesters [5,6]. AWAT2 (also known as MFAT) also possesses acyl-CoA retinol acyltransferase (ARAT) activity that catalyses 11-cis-specific retinyl ester synthesis and shows higher catalytic efficiency toward 11-cis-retinol versus 9-cis-retinol, 13-cis-retinol, and all-trans-retinol substrates [7].

1: The DGA1 gene determines a second triglyceride synthetic pathway in yeast. Oelkers P, Cromley D, Padamsee M, Billheimer JT, Sturley SL; J Biol Chem 2002;277:8877-8881. PMID:11751875

2: Synthesis of triacylglycerols by the acyl-coenzyme A:diacyl-glycerol acyltransferase Dga1p in lipid particles of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sorger D, Daum G; J Bacteriol 2002;184:519-524. PMID:11751830

3: Biochemical characterization of human acyl coenzyme A: 2-monoacylglycerol acyltransferase-3 (MGAT3). Brandt C, McFie PJ, Stone SJ; Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2016;475:264-270. PMID:27184406

4: Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells deficient in triacylglycerols synthesis undergo apoptosis upon entry into the stationary phase. Zhang Q, Chieu HK, Low CP, Zhang S, Heng CK, Yang H; J Biol Chem. 2003;278:47145-47155. PMID:12963726

5: Identification of two novel human acyl-CoA wax alcohol acyltransferases: members\tof the diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) gene superfamily. Turkish AR, Henneberry AL, Cromley D, Padamsee M, Oelkers P, Bazzi H, Christiano AM, Billheimer JT, Sturley SL; J Biol Chem. 2005;280:14755-14764. PMID:15671038

6: Synthesis of neutral ether lipid monoalkyl-diacylglycerol by lipid acyltransferases. Ma Z, Onorato JM, Chen L, Nelson DW, Yen CE, Cheng D; J Lipid Res. 2017;58:1091-1099. PMID:28420705

7: Identification of the 11-cis-specific retinyl-ester synthase in retinal Muller cells as multifunctional O-acyltransferase (MFAT). Kaylor JJ, Cook JD, Makshanoff J, Bischoff N, Yong J, Travis GH; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111:7302-7307. PMID:24799687