Cloning and functional expression of the first plant fatty acid elongase specific for Delta(6)-polyunsaturated fatty acids

In order to elucidate the biosynthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in plants we searched for a cDNA encoding a Delta(6)-specific PUFA elongase from Physcomitrella patens, which is known to contain high proportions of arachidonic acid (20:4 Delta(5,8,11,14)). An EST clone from P. patens was identified by its low homology to the yeast gene ELO1, which is required for the elongation of medium-chain fatty acids. We functionally characterized this cDNA by heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in the presence of several fatty acids. Analysis of the fatty acid profile of the transgenic yeast revealed that the cDNA encodes a protein that leads to the elongation of the C(18) Delta(6)-polyunsaturated fatty acids gamma-linolenic acid (18:3 Delta(6,9,12)) and stearidonic acid (18:4 Delta(6,9,12,15)), which were recovered to 45-51% as their elongation products. In contrast, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids were hardly elongated and we could not measure any elongation of saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (including 18:1 Delta(6)), indicating that the elongase is highly specific for the polyunsaturated nature of the fatty acid acting as substrate.     

Incorporation of [1-14C]acetate into the fatty acyl groups of soybean root plasma membrane phospholipids

The incorporation of [¹⁴C]acetate into fatty acids in a plasma membrane enriched fraction from mature soybean root (Glycine max) was studied by time-course experiments. Mature sections of 4-day-old dark-grown soybean roots were incubated with [1-¹⁴C]acetate, 1 mM sodium acetate and 50 μ/ml chloramphenicol. Plasma membrane vesicles were isolated at pH 7.8 and in the presence of 5 mM EDTA, 5 mM EGTA and 10 mM NaF. Lipid extracts analysed for phospholipid class and acyl chain composition revealed that relatively long incubation times did not alter the phospholipid composition of the plasma membrane enriched fraction. Radioactivity was incorporated into all the phospholipid classes proportional to their concentration in the membrane fraction. The distribution of ¹⁴C within the fatty acids of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine differed from the respective fatty acid compositions and changed with time. Radioactivity also appeared more rapidly in the unsaturated acyl groups of phosphatidylcholine when compared with phosphatidylethanolamine. The rate and pattern of fatty acid incorporation into phosphatidylcholine differed from that for phosphatidylethanolamine.     

The elongation of exogenous fatty acids and the control of phospholipid acyl chain length in Micrococcus cryophilus.

The synthesis of fatty acids de novo from acetate and the elongation of exogenous satuated fatty acids (C12-C18) by the psychrophilic bacterium Micrococcus cryophilus (A.T.C.C. 15174) grown at 1 or 20 degrees C was investigated. M. cryophilus normally contains only C16 and C18 acyl chains in its phospholipids, and the C18/C16 ratio is altered by changes in growth temperature. The bacterium was shown to regulate strictly its phospholipid acyl chain length and to be capable of directly elongating myristate and palmitate, and possibly laurate, to a mixture of C16 and C18 acyl chains. Retroconversion of stearate into palmitate also occurred. Fatty acid elongation could be distinguished from fatty acid synthesis de novo by the greater sensitivity of fatty acid elongation to inhibition by NaAsO2 under conditions when the supply of ATP and reduced nicotinamide nucleotides was not limiting. It is suggested that phospholipid acyl chain length may be controlled by a membrane-bound elongase enzyme, which interconverts C16 and C18 fatty acids via a C14 intermediate; the activity of the enzyme could be regulated by membrane lipid fluidity.     

The manipulation of fatty acid composition in L-M cell monolayers supplemented with cyclopentenyl fatty acids

Mouse L-M fibroblasts, grown in a serum-free medium, were supplemented with fatty acids of 16 and 18 carbon chain lengths that contain a cyclopentene ring in the ω position. These fatty acids, unnatural to mammalian systems, were incorporated into the major lipid classes of L-M fibroblasts. Supplementation with the cyclopentenyl fatty acids caused an accumulation of neutral glycerolipids and marked inhibition of cell growth. Following the addition of supplement, the cells became more rounded. Of particular interest was the fact that the phospholipid fraction isolated from treated cells contained cyclic fatty acids that accounted for as much as 24% of the total phospholipid acyl groups. Unlike the pattern of distribution displayed by endogenous natural monoenes, the majority of the cyclic acid present was esterified in the sn-1 position of both phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The 18-carbon cyclic fatty acid [chaulmoogric acid, 13-(2-cyclopenten-1-yl)tridecanoic acid] was incorporated at the expense of the endogenous C-16:0, C-18:0, and C-18:1 fatty acids of the glycerophospholipids. The esterification altered the ratio of saturated to unsaturated acyl groups in the cellular phospholipids. No biochemical modification of chaulmoogric acid was detected.Our results imply that incorporation of unnatural fatty acid analogs, such as chaulmoogric acid, into cellular membranes would alter the functional properties of biological membranes that are dependent on membrane fluidity and structural organization.     

Synthesis of fatty acids from [1-14C]acetylcoenzyme A in subcellular particles of rat epididymal adipose tissue

1. Mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of rat epididymal adipose tissue incorporated [1-(14)C]acetyl-CoA equally well into various fatty acids by a chain-elongation mechanism. C(18) and C(20) fatty acids were the two major products, and comprised about 80% of the total fatty acids synthesized in both particles. 2. When incubated in air, mitochondria synthesized stearic acid, octadecenoic acid and eicosamonoenoic acid in almost equal amounts (about 20% each), whereas in microsomal fractions, the synthesis of octadecenoic acid was more than fivefold the stearic acid formation. In both fractions, major components of synthesized monoenoic fatty acids were the Delta(11:12) isomers. Hexadecenoic acid and octadecenoic acid from whole adipose tissue contained approx. 11 and 14% of the Delta(11:12) isomer respectively. 3. When mitochondria or microsomal fractions were incubated in nitrogen, there was increased synthesis of stearic acid and palmitic acid and less of C(16) and C(18) monoenoic acids; synthesis of C(20) acids remained predominantly of the monoenoic acids. Determination of the position of the double bond in the monoenoic acids supported the view that the synthesis of hexadecenoic acid and octadecenoic acid involves a desaturase activity, whereas eicosamonoenoic acid and eicosadienoic acid are formed only by elongation of endogenous fatty acids. 4. Most of the radioactivity was found in free fatty acids (63%) and the phospholipid (26%) fraction. In phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were the two major components. 5. Most of the fatty acids synthesized, including those not normally found in particle lipids (arachidic acid, eicosamonoenoic acid and eicosadienoic acid) were distributed fairly evenly in the phospholipid and free fatty acid fractions. However, stearic acid was found predominantly in the phospholipid fraction.     

Low C18 to C20 fatty acid elongase activity and limited conversion of stearidonic acid, 18:4(n-3), to eicosapentaenoic acid, 20:5(n-3), in a cell line from the turbot, Scophthalmus maximus

The TF cell line, derived from a top predatory, carnivorous marine teleost, the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), is known to have a limited conversion of C18 to C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). To illuminate the underlying processes, we studied the conversions of stearidonic acid, 18:4(n-3), and its elongation product, 20:4(n-3), in TF cells and also in a cell line, AS, derived from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), by adding unlabelled (25 microM), U-14C (1 microM) or deuterated (d5; 25 microM) fatty acids. Stearidonic acid, 18:4(n-3), was metabolised to 20:5(n-3) in both cells lines, but more so in AS than in TF cells. Delta5 desaturation was more active in TF cells than in AS cells, whereas C18 to C20 elongation was much reduced in TF as compared to AS cells. Only small amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6(n-3)) were produced by both cell lines, although there was significant production of 22:5(n-3) in both cultures, especially when 20:4(n-3) was supplemented. We conclude that limited elongation of C18 to C20 fatty acids rather than limited fatty acyl Delta5 desaturation accounts for the limited rate of conversion of 18:3(n-3) to 20:5(n-3) in the turbot cell line, as compared to the Atlantic salmon cell line. The results can account for the known differences in conversions of C18 to C20 PUFA by the turbot and the Atlantic salmon in vivo.     

Co-transcribed genes for long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in the protozoon Perkinsus marinus include a plant-like FAE1 3-ketoacyl coenzyme A synthase

The marine parasitic protozoon Perkinus marinus synthesizes the polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid via the unusual alternative Delta8 pathway in which elongation of C18 fatty acids generates substrate for two sequential desaturations. Here we have shown that genes encoding the three P. marinus activities responsible for arachidonic acid biosynthesis (C18 Delta9-elongating activity, C20 Delta8 desaturase, C20 Delta5 desaturase) are genomically clustered and co-transcribed as an operon. The acyl elongation reaction, which underpins this pathway, is catalyzed by a FAE1 (fatty acid elongation 1)-like 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase class of condensing enzyme previously only reported in higher plants and algae. This is the first example of an elongating activity involved in the biosynthesis of a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is not a member of the ELO/SUR4 family. The P. marinus FAE1-like elongating activity is sensitive to the herbicide flufenacet, similar to some higher plant 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthases, but unable to rescue the yeast elo2Delta/elo3Delta mutant consistent with a role in the elongation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. P. marinus represents a key organism in the taxonomic separation of the single-celled eukaryotes collectively known as the alveolates, and our data imply a lineage in which ancestral acquisition of plant-like genes, such as FAE1-like 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthases, occurred via endosymbiosis. The P. marinus FAE1-like elongating activity is also indicative of the independent evolution of the alternative Delta8 pathway, distinct from ELO/SUR4-dependent examples.     

Murine FATP alleviates growth and biochemical deficiencies of yeast fat1Delta strains.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ideal model eukaryote for studying fatty-acid transport. Yeast are auxotrophic for unsaturated fatty acids when grown under hypoxic conditions or when the fatty-acid synthase inhibitor cerulenin is included in the growth media. The FAT1 gene encodes a protein, Fat1p, which is required for maximal levels of fatty-acid import and has an acyl CoA synthetase activity specific for very-long-chain fatty acids suggesting this protein plays a pivotal role in fatty-acid trafficking. In the present work, we present evidence that Fat1p and the murine fatty-acid transport protein (FATP) are functional homologues. FAT1 is essential for growth under hypoxic conditions and when cerulenin was included in the culture media in the presence or absence of unsaturated fatty acids. FAT1 disruptants (fat1Delta) fail to accumulate the fluorescent long-chain fatty acid fatty-acid analogue 4, 4-difluoro-5-methyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-do decanoic acid (C1-BODIPY-C12), have a greatly diminished capacity to transport exogenous long-chain fatty acids, and have very long-chain acyl CoA synthetase activities that were 40% wild-type. The depression in very long-chain acyl CoA synthetase activities were not apparent in cells grown in the presence of oleate. Additionally, beta-oxidation of exogenous long-chain fatty acids is depressed to 30% wild-type levels. The reduction of beta-oxidation was correlated with a depression of intracellular oleoyl CoA levels in the fat1Delta strain following incubation of the cells with exogenous oleate. Expression of either Fat1p or murine FATP from a plasmid in a fat1Delta strain restored these phenotypic and biochemical deficiencies. Fat1p and FATP restored growth of fat1Delta cells in the presence of cerulenin and under hypoxic conditions. Furthermore, fatty-acid transport was restored and was found to be chain length specific: octanoate, a medium-chain fatty acid was transported in a Fat1p- and FATP-independent manner while the long-chain fatty acids myristate, palmitate, and oleate required either Fat1p or FATP for maximal levels of transport. Lignoceryl CoA synthetase activities were restored to wild-type levels in fat1Delta strains expressing either Fat1p or FATP. Fat1p or FATP also restored wild-type levels of beta-oxidation of exogenous long-chain fatty acids. These data show that Fat1p and FATP are functionally equivalent when expressed in yeast and play a central role in fatty-acid trafficking.     

Adrenoleukodystrophy. The chain shortening of erucic acid (22:1(n-9)) and adrenic acid (22:4(n-6)) is deficient in neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy and normal in X-linked adrenoleukodistrophy skin fibroblasts

The metabolism of long chain unsaturated fatty acids was studied in cultured fibroblasts from patients with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) and with neonatal ALD. By using [14-14C] erucic acid (22:1(n-9)) as substrate it was shown that the peroxisomal beta-oxidation, measured as chain shortening, was impaired in cells from patients with neonatal ALD. The beta-oxidation of adrenic acid (22:4(n-6)), measured as acid-soluble products, was also reduced in the neonatal ALD cells. The peroxisomal beta-oxidation of [14-14C]erucic acid (22:1(n-9)) and [2-14C]adrenic acid (22:4(n-6)) was normal in cells from X-ALD patients. The beta-oxidation, esterification and chain elongation of [1-14C]arachidonic acid (20:4(n-6)) and [1-14C]eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5(n-3)) was normal in both X-linked ALD and in neonatal ALD. Previous studies suggest that the activation of very long chain fatty acids by a lignoceryl (24:0)-CoA ligase is deficient in X-linked ALD, while the peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes are deficient in neonatal ALD. The present results suggest that the peroxisomal very long-chain acyl-CoA ligase is not required for activation of unsaturated C20 and C22 fatty acids and that these fatty acids can be efficiently activated by the long chain acyl-(palmityl)-CoA ligase.     

Influence of immunologic activation and cellular fatty acid levels on the catabolism of platelet-activating factor within the murine mast cell (PT-18)

The present study has examined the catabolism of 1-O-[3H]hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC (C16-PAF) and of 1-O-octadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC (C18-PAF) in spleen-derived PT-18 murine mast cells (mast cells). Mast cells catabolized exogenous PAF into two inactive metabolites, 1-O-alkyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lysoPAF) and 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC). The rate of conversion of C16-PAF to metabolites was more rapid than that of C18-PAF. Analysis of the acyl composition of 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC formed during the metabolism of PAF revealed that arachidonic acid (20:4) was the major fatty acyl chain incorporated at the sn-2 position. However, 25% of newly formed 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC was reacylated with docosahexaenoic acid (22:6). The influence of cellular fatty acid content on PAF catabolism was further explored in mast cells in which the ratio of fatty acids within cellular phosphoglycerides had been altered by supplementing the cells with various fatty acids in culture. Mast cells supplemented with 20:4 or 22:6 converted PAF to 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC at a significantly higher rate than non-supplemented cells. In contrast, cells supplemented with linoleic acid (18:2) metabolized PAF at rates similar to non-supplemented cells. Analysis of the acyl composition of 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC derived from the metabolism of PAF in 20:4-supplemented cells indicated that 20:4 was incorporated exclusively into the sn-2 position. Conversely, 22:6-supplemented cells incorporated predominantly 22:6 at the sn-2 position of 1-alkyl-2-lyso-GPC. Supplementation with 18:2 had no effect on the acylation pattern seen in newly formed 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC. Activation of passively sensitized mast cells with antigen or with ionophore A23187 significantly enhanced the rate of catabolism of exogenously-provided PAF but had no effect on the acylation pattern of 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-GPC. Experiments performed with the soluble fraction of the cells showed that acetyl hydrolase activity was increased in mast cells stimulated with antigen. In addition, supernatant fluids from antigen or ionophore-treated mast cells converted PAF to lysoPAF, suggesting that acetyl hydrolase activity was released during cell activation. These data indicate that the ability of mast cells to catabolize PAF to inactive metabolites is influenced by cell activation and by the cellular levels of certain fatty acids.     

Aberrant cardiolipin metabolism in the yeast taz1 mutant: a model for Barth syndrome

In eukaryotic cells, the acyl species of the phospholipid cardiolipin (CL) are more highly unsaturated than those of the other membrane phospholipids. Defective acylation of CL with unsaturated fatty acids and decreased total CL are associated with Barth syndrome, an X-linked cardio- and skeletal myopathy attributed to a defect in the gene G4.5 (also known as tafazzin). We constructed a yeast mutant (taz1) containing a null mutation in the homologue of the human G4.5 gene. The yeast taz1Delta mutant was temperature sensitive for growth in ethanol as sole carbon source, but grew normally on glucose or glycerol plus ethanol. Total CL content was reduced in the taz1Delta mutant, and monolyso-CL accumulated. The predominant CL acyl species found in wild-type cells, C18:1 and C16:1, were markedly reduced in the mutant, whereas CL molecules containing saturated fatty acids were present. Interestingly, CL synthesis increased in the mutant, whereas expression of the CL structural genes CRD1 and PGS1 did not, suggesting that de novo biosynthetic enzyme activities are regulated by CL acylation. These results indicate that the taz1Delta mutant is an excellent genetic tool for the study of CL remodelling and may serve as a model system for the study of Barth syndrome.     

Elongation of exogenous fatty acids by the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio harveyi.

Bioluminescent bacteria require myristic acid (C14:0) to produce the myristaldehyde substrate of the light-emitting luciferase reaction. Since both endogenous and exogenous C14:0 can be used for this purpose, the metabolism of exogenous fatty acids by luminescent bacteria has been investigated. Both Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio fischeri incorporated label from [1-14C]myristic acid (C14:0) into phospholipid acyl chains as well as into CO2. In contrast, Photobacterium phosphoreum did not exhibit phospholipid acylation or beta-oxidation using exogenous fatty acids. Unlike Escherichia coli, the two Vibrio species can directly elongate fatty acids such as octanoic (C8:0), lauric (C12:0), and myristic acid, as demonstrated by radio-gas liquid chromatography. The induction of bioluminescence in late exponential growth had little effect on the ability of V. harveyi to elongate fatty acids, but it did increase the amount of C14:0 relative to C16:0 labeled from [14C]C8:0. This was not observed in a dark mutant of V. harveyi that is incapable of supplying endogenous C14:0 for luminescence. Cerulenin preferentially decreased the labeling of C16:0 and of unsaturated fatty acids from all 14C-labeled fatty acid precursors as well as from [14C]acetate, suggesting that common mechanisms may be involved in elongation of fatty acids from endogenous and exogenous sources. Fatty acylation of the luminescence-related synthetase and reductase enzymes responsible for aldehyde synthesis exhibited a chain-length preference for C14:0, which also was indicated by reverse-phase thin-layer chromatography of the acyl groups attached to these enzymes. The ability of V. harveyi to activate and elongate exogenous fatty acids may be related to an adaptive requirement to metabolize intracellular C14:0 generated by the luciferase reaction during luminescence development.     

Biosynthesis of C(20) and C(22) Fatty Acids by Developing Seeds of Limnanthes alba: CHAIN ELONGATION AND Delta5 DESATURATION

The storage triacylglycerols of meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) seeds are composed essentially of C₂₀ and C₂₂ fatty acids, which contain an unusual Δ5 double bond. When [1-¹⁴C]acetate was incubated with developing seed slices, ¹⁴C-labeled fatty acids were synthesized with a distribution similar to the endogenous fatty acid profile. The major labeled product was cis-5-eicosenoate, with smaller amounts of palmitate, stearate, oleate, cis-5-octadecenoate, eicosanoate, cis-11-eicosenoate, docosanoate, cis-5-docosenoate, cis-13-docosenoate, and cis-5,cis-13-docosadienoate. The label from [¹⁴C]acetate and [¹⁴C]malonate was used preferentially for the elongation of endogenous oleate to produce cis-[¹⁴C]11-eicosenoate, cis-13-[¹⁴C]docosenoate, and cis-5,cis-13-[¹⁴C]docosadienoate and for the elongation of endogenous palmitate to produce the remaining C₂₀ and C₂₂ acyl species. The Δ5 desaturation of the preformed acyl chain and chain elongation of oleate and palmitate were demonstrated in vivo by incubation of the appropriate 1-¹⁴C-labeled free fatty acids. Using [1-¹⁴C]acyl-CoA thioesters as substrates, these enzyme activities were also demonstrated in vitro with a cell-free homogenate.     

Metabolism of saturated fatty acids by Paramecium tetraurelia

Paramecium requires oleate for growth. The phospholipids of the ciliate contain high concentrations of palmitate and 18- and 20-carbon unsaturated fatty acids. We previously showed that radiolabeled oleate is desaturated and elongated to provide these 18- and 20-carbon unsaturated acids. We now report on saturated fatty acid (SFA) metabolism in Paramecium. Radiolabeled palmitate and stearate were incorporated directly into cellular phospholipids with little or no desaturation and/or elongation. Radiolabeled acetate, malonate, pyruvate, citrate, or glucose added to cultures were not incorporated into cellular phospholipid fatty acids indicating that these exogenously supplied putative precursors were not utilized for fatty acid synthesis by Paramecium. Radiolabel from octanoate or hexanoate appeared in fatty acyl groups of phospholipids, possibly by partial beta-oxidation and reincorporation of the label. Under oleate-free conditions in which cultures do not grow, radiolabel from these shorter chain SFA were beta-oxidized and preferentially used for the formation of arachidonate, the major end-product of fatty acid synthesis in Paramecium. Cerulenin inhibited culture growth apparently by inhibiting de novo fatty acid synthesis. Cerulenin-treated cells did not incorporate radioactivity from [1-14C]octanoate into esterified palmitate. However, total saponifiable phospholipid fatty acids, including SFA, per cell increased under these conditions.     

Fatty acid metabolism in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (plsB) mutants.

Fatty acid metabolism was examined in Escherichia coli plsB mutants that were conditionally defective in sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity. The fatty acids synthesized when acyl transfer to glycerol-3-phosphate was inhibited were preferentially transferred to phosphatidylglycerol. A comparison of the ratio of phospholipid species labeled with 32Pi and [3H]acetate in the presence and absence of glycerol-3-phosphate indicated that [3H]acetate incorporation into phosphatidylglycerol was due to fatty acid turnover. A significant contraction of the acetyl coenzyme A pool after glycerol-3-phosphate starvation of the plsB mutant precluded the quantitative assessment of the rate of phosphatidylglycerol fatty acid labeling. Fatty acid chain length in membrane phospholipids increased as the concentration of the glycerol-3-phosphate growth supplement decreased, and after the abrupt cessation of phospholipid biosynthesis abnormally long chain fatty acids were excreted into the growth medium. These data suggest that the acyl moieties of phosphatidylglycerol are metabolically active, and that competition between fatty acid elongation and acyl transfer is an important determinant of the acyl chain length in membrane phospholipids.     

Replacement of acyl and alk-1-enyl groups in Clostridium butyricum phospholipids by exogenous fatty acids.

The effect of exogenous unsaturated fatty acids on the acyl and alk-1-enyl group composition of the phospholipids of Clostridium butyricum has been examined. Unsaturated fatty acids support the growth of this organism in the absence of biotin. When cells were grown at 37 degrees in media containing oleate or linoleate and a Casamino acid mixture containing traces of biotin, the exogenous fatty acids were found mainly in the alk-1-enyl chains of the plasmalogens with less pronounced incorporation into the acyl chains. However, at 25 degrees in this medium, both the acyl and alk-1-enyl chains contained substantial amounts of the 18:1 supplement plus the C19-cyclopropane chains derived from it. Ak-1-enyl chains in all the major phosphatide classes showed a uniformly high substitution by the oleate supplement in cells grown at 37 degrees. The oleate and C19-cyclopropane content of the acyl chains was more variable among the phosphatide classes. At 37 degrees, trans-9-octadecenoic acid (elaidic acid) also supported growth and was incorporated into both acyl and alk-1-enyl chains at a high level. When cells were grown on oleate at 37 degrees in media containing biotin-free Casamino acids, both the acyl and alk-1-enyl chains had a high level of 18:1 plus C19-cyclopropane chains. In the cells grown at 37 degrees with oleate substantial changes were seen in the phospholipid class composition. There was a large decrease in the ethanolamine plus N-methylethanolamine plasmalogens with a corresponding increase in the glycerol acetals of these plasmalogens. The glycerol phosphoglycerides were also significantly lower with the appearance of an unknown, relatively nonpolar phospholipid fraction.     

An unsaturated fatty acid mutant of Aspergillus niger with partially defective delta 9-desaturase

The wild-type Aspergillus niger (V35) does not require fatty acids for growth. Four unsaturated fatty acid auxotrophs designated as UFA1, UFA2, UFA3, and UFA4 have been produced from this organism by treating the conidia of the wild-type strain with a mutagen, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, followed by isolation on media containing monounsaturated fatty acids and the nonionic detergent, Brij 58. Optimal growth of the mutants comparable with that of the wild type was achieved with medium supplemented with C16 or C18 unsaturated fatty acids containing at least one cis double bond at the delta 9 position. Some other fatty acids (18:1 delta 11 cis and 16:1 delta 9 trans) support growth to some extent. The mutants do not grow at all in the presence of saturated fatty acids. Fatty acid analyses of the mutant, UFA2, grown in the presence of different fatty acid supplements reveal that it may be defective in a desaturase system. Experiments with unlabeled and [1-14C]palmitoyl-CoA have shown that the microsomes of the mutant (UFA2) contain a partially defective delta 9-desaturase system.     

A bifunctional Delta12,Delta15-desaturase from Acanthamoeba castellanii directs the synthesis of highly unusual n-1 series unsaturated fatty acids

The free-living soil protozoon Acanthamoeba castellanii synthesizes a range of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the balance of which can be altered by environmental changes. We have isolated and functionally characterized in yeast a microsomal desaturase from A. castellanii, which catalyzes the sequential conversion of C(16) and C(18) Delta9-monounsaturated fatty acids to di- and tri-unsaturated forms. In the case of C(16) substrates, this bifunctional A. castellanii Delta12,Delta15-desaturase generated a highly unusual fatty acid, hexadecatrienoic acid (16:3Delta(9,12,15)(n-1)). The identification of a desaturase, which can catalyze the insertion of a double bond between the terminal two carbons of a fatty acid represents a new addition to desaturase functionality and plasticity. We have also co-expressed in yeast the A. castellanii bifunctional Delta12,Delta15-desaturase with a microsomal Delta6-desaturase, resulting in the synthesis of the highly unsaturated C(16) fatty acid hexadecatetraenoic acid (16:4Delta(6,9,12,15)(n-1)), previously only reported in marine microorganisms. Our work therefore demonstrates the feasibility of the heterologous synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-1 series. The presence of a bifunctional Delta12,Delta15-desaturase in A. castellanii is also considered with reference to the evolution of desaturases and the lineage of this protist.     

The yeast acyltransferase Sct1p regulates fatty acid desaturation by competing with the desaturase Ole1p

The degree of fatty acid unsaturation, that is, the ratio of unsaturated versus saturated fatty acyl chains, determines membrane fluidity. Regulation of expression of the fatty acid desaturase Ole1p was hitherto the only known mechanism governing the degree of fatty acid unsaturation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We report a novel mechanism for the regulation of fatty acid desaturation that is based on competition between Ole1p and the glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase Sct1p/Gat2p for the common substrate C16:0-CoA. Deletion of SCT1 decreases the content of saturated fatty acids, whereas overexpression of SCT1 dramatically decreases the desaturation of fatty acids and affects phospholipid composition. Whereas overexpression of Ole1p increases desaturation, co-overexpression of Ole1p and Sct1p results in a fatty acid composition intermediate between those obtained upon overexpression of the enzymes separately. On the basis of these results, we propose that Sct1p sequesters C16:0-CoA into lipids, thereby shielding it from desaturation by Ole1p. Ta-king advantage of the growth defect conferred by overexpressing SCT1, we identified the acyltransferase Cst26p/Psi1p as a regulator of Sct1p activity by affecting the phosphorylation state and overexpression level of Sct1p. The level of Sct1p phosphorylation is increased when cells are supplemented with saturated fatty acids, demonstrating the physiological relevance of our findings.     

In vitro and in vivo synthesis of long-chain fatty acids from (1-14C) acetate in the renal papillae of rats.

1. The relationship between the rate of [1-14C] acetate incorporation into the fatty acids of renal papillary lipids and the acetate concentration in the medium has been measured. 2. [1-14C] acetate was incorporated mainly into fatty acids of phospholipids and triacylglycerols. Only a few per cent of the radioactivity was found in the free fatty acid fraction. 3. The major part of the [1-14C] acetate was found to be incorporated by a chain elongation of prevalent fatty acids. The major component of the poly-unsaturated fatty acids in triacylglycerols and the major product of fatty acid synthesis from [1-14C] acetate in vitro was demonstrated by mass spectrometry to be docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraenoic acid. 4. The radioactivity of docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraenoic acid accounted for 40% of total radioactivity in triacylglycerol fatty acids (lipid droplet fraction) and 20% of total radioactivity in membrane phospholipid fatty acids.