Fat-1 transgenic mice: a new model for omega-3 research.
An appropriate animal model that can eliminate confounding factors of diet would be very helpful for evaluation of the health effects of nutrients such as n-3 fatty acids. We recently generated a fat-1 transgenic mouse expressing the Caenorhabditis elegans fat-1 gene encoding an n-3 fatty acid desaturase that converts n-6 to n-3 fatty acids (which is absent in mammals). The fat-1 transgenic mice are capable of producing n-3 fatty acids from the n-6 type, leading to abundant n-3 fatty acids with reduced levels of n-6 fatty acids in their organs and tissues, without the need of a dietary n-3 supply. Feeding an identical diet (high in n-6) to the transgenic and wild-type littermates can produce different fatty acid profiles in these animals. Thus, this model allows well-controlled studies to be performed, without the interference of the potential confounding factors of diet. The transgenic mice are now being used widely and are emerging as a new tool for studying the benefits of n-3 fatty acids and the molecular mechanisms of their action.
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. kang.jing@mgh.harvard.edu
Jing X
JX
Kang
D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D023421:Models, Animal
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; C466741:fat-1 protein, C elegans; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases