Enhancement of EPA and DHA biosynthesis by over-expression of masu salmon delta6-desaturase-like gene in zebrafish.
The n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have important nutritional benefits in humans. Farmed fish could serve as promising sources of EPA/DHA, but they need these fatty acids or their precursors in their diets. Here we transferred masu salmon delta6-desaturase-like gene in zebrafish to increase its ability for synthesizing EPA and DHA. Expression of this gene in transgenic fish elevated their EPA content by 1.4-fold and DHA by 2.1-fold. On the other hand, the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content decreased, it being a substrate of delta6-desaturase, while the total lipid remained constant. This achievement demonstrates that fatty acid metabolic pathway in fish can be modified by the transgenic technique, and perhaps this could be applied to tailor farmed fish as even better sources of valuable human food.
Alimuddin
Department of Marine Biosciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan. goro@s.kaiyodai.ac.jp
Yoshizaki
Goro
G
Kiron
Viswanath
V
Satoh
Shuichi
S
Takeuchi
Toshio
T
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017756:Aquaculture; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D050602:Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012474:Salmon / Q000235:genetics*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics
D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases; D050602:Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase