Do betaine lipids replace phosphatidylcholine as fatty acid editing hubs in microalgae?

Acyl editing refers to a deacylation and reacylation cycle on a lipid, which allows for fatty acid desaturation and modification prior to being removed and incorporated into other pools. Acyl editing is an important determinant of glycerolipid synthesis and has been well-characterized in land plants, thus this review begins with an overview of acyl editing in plants. Much less is known about acyl editing in algae, including the extent to which acyl editing impacts lipid synthesis and on which lipid substrate(s) it occurs.