A Novel Delta5-Desaturase-Defective Mutant of Mortierella alpina 1S-4 and Its Dihomo-gamma-Linolenic Acid Productivity

A novel Delta5-desaturase-defective mutant was derived from an arachidonic acid-producing fungus, Mortierella alpina 1S-4, after treating the parental spores with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. The mutant produced only a trace (about 1%) amount of arachidonic acid, and the ratio of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) to total fatty acids in each lipid class was markedly high, accounting for as much as 60% in phosphatidylcholine. Under submerged batch culture conditions, the mutant produced 2.4 g of DGLA per liter (43.3% of total fatty acids) when grown at 28 degrees C for 7 days in a 5-liter jar fermentor. The other major (more that 1%) fatty acids were palmitic acid (21.2%), stearic acid (9.6%), oleic acid (14.3%), linoleic acid (4.4%), and gamma-linolenic acid (5.8%). About 80 mol% of the DGLA produced was found in triacylglycerol.