Cloning and characterization of the 6 polyunsaturated fatty acid elongase from the green microalga Parietochloris incisa.
The very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (VLC-PUFA), arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4omega-6) is a component of neuron tissues such as brain and retina cells and a primary substrate for the biosynthesis of biologically active eicosanoids. The green freshwater microalga Parietochloris incisa (Trebouxiophyceae) has been shown to accumulate an extraordinary high content of ARA-rich triacylglycerols. It was thus interesting to characterize the genes involved in lipid biosynthesis in this alga. We report here the identification of a cDNA encoding for a P. incisa PUFA elongase (PiELO1) and demonstrate that the expression of PiELO1 in yeast Saccharomyces cereviseae confers its elongase activity on C18 6 PUFA. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PiELO1 is highly similar to functionally characterized 6 PUFA elongase genes from other green algae and lower plants. Quantitative real-time PCR expression studies showed that PiELO1 is upregulated under nitrogen starvation, the condition triggering and enhancing storage oil and ARA accumulation in P. incisa.
Iskandarov
Umidjon
U
The Microalgal Biotechnology Laboratory, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boker Campus, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
Khozin-Goldberg
Inna
I
Ofir
Rivka
R
Cohen
Zvi
Z
D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000081031:Fatty Acid Elongases; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012440:Saccharomyces / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D000081031:Fatty Acid Elongases