Phosphate-deficient oat replaces a major portion of the plasma membrane phospholipids with the galactolipid digalactosyldiacylglycerol.

The plasma membranes of oat normally resemble those of other eukaryotes in containing mainly phospholipids and sterols. We here report the novel finding that the galactolipid digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) can constitute a substantial proportion of oat plasma membrane lipids, in both shoots and roots. When oat was cultivated under severe phosphate limitation, up to 70% of the plasma membrane phosphoglycerolipids were replaced by DGDG. Our finding not only reflects a far more developed potential for plasticity in plasma membrane lipid composition than often assumed, but also merits interest in the context of the limited phosphate availability in many soils.