title: Biosynthesis of fatty acids in the docosahexaenoic acid-producing bacterium Moritella marina strain MP-1.
abstract: We have isolated the fatty acid biosynthetic (fab) gene cluster taking part in the synthesis of middle-chain fatty acids and a genomic segment which was homologous with the eicosapentaenoic acid-biosynthetic gene cluster from the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-producing bacterium Moritella marina strain MP-1. This segment was presumed to include the DHA-biosynthetic gene cluster of M. marina strain MP-1. When M. marina strain MP-1 was cultured in medium containing cerulenin, a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor, decreases in levels of middle-chain fatty acids and remarkable increases in levels of DHA were observed. These results suggest that the synthesis of middle-chain fatty acids works independently of the synthesis of DHA.
authors.affiliation: Bioscience and Chemistry Division, Hokkaido National Industrial Research Institute, AIST/MITI, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-8517, Japan. nmorita@hniri.go.jp
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okuyama
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002569:Cerulenin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D016366:Open Reading Frames
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D002569:Cerulenin; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids