Identification of a novel fatty acid elongase with a wide substrate specificity from arachidonic acid-producing fungus Mortierella alpina 1S-4.
The isolation and characterization of a gene (MALCE1) that encodes a fatty acid elongase from arachidonic acid-producing fungus Mortierella alpina 1S-4 are described. MALCE1 was confirmed to encode a fatty acid elongase by its expression in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, resulting in the accumulation of 18-, 19-, and 20-carbon monounsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoic acid. Furthermore, the MALCE1 yeast transformant efficiently elongated exogenous 9-hexadecenoic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, and 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid. The MALCE1 gene-silenced strain obtained from M. alpina 1S-4 exhibited a low content of octadecanoic acid and a high content of hexadecanoic acid, compared with those in the wild strain. The enzyme encoded by MALCE1 was demonstrated to be involved in the conversion of hexadecanoic acid to octadecanoic acid, its main role in M. alpina 1S-4.
Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
Eiji
E
Sakuradani
Masutoshi
M
Nojiri
Haruna
H
Suzuki
Sakayu
S
Shimizu
D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004537:Eicosanoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000081031:Fatty Acid Elongases; D015870:Gene Expression; D020868:Gene Silencing; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020094:Mortierella / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004537:Eicosanoic Acids; D013229:Stearic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D019308:Palmitic Acid; C031183:stearic acid; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D000081031:Fatty Acid Elongases