• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.116-121
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• 2010

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) promote the development of brain and vision of the fetus, relieve inflammation, inhibit oral dysplasia of rumor cell, decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease and regulate arrhythmia. ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase is the rate-limited enzyme in the desaturation process. This study reports the cloning, characterization and tissue expression of a ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase gene in the chicken. PCR primers were designed based on the predicted sequence of chicken ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase (accession number: XM421053) and used to isolate a cDNA fragment of 1,323 bp from chicken liver. Based on the 1,323 bp fragment an EST (BI390105) was obtained by BLAST. The EST and 5'nd of the 1,323 bp fragment were partially overlapped. Gene specific primers derived from the EST were used for amplification of the 5'nd. Another gene-specific primer derived from the 1,323 bp fragment was used for amplification of the 3'nd by 3'ACE. Then the three overlapping cDNA sequences obtained were assembled with DNAMAN software and a full-length ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase of 2,153 bp was obtained. The full-length cDNA contained an ORF of 1,335 bp with a 5'ntranslated region of 147 nucleotides followed by an ATG initiation codon. Stop codon TGA was at position 1,481-1,483 bp. The deduced amino acids shared an homology above 77% with bovine, mice, orangutan, rat and human. The protein sequence had three histidine-rich regions HDFGH (HisI region), HFQHH (HisII region) and HH (HisIII region), a cytochrome $b_{5}$-like domain containing a heme-binding motif and two transmembrane domains. Sequence analysis of the chicken genomic DNA revealed that the coding sequence of chicken ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase included 12 exons and 11 introns. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that the ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase expression levels were in turn liver, spleen, pancreas, lung, breast muscle, heart, and abdominal fat. The expression of ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase in liver was significantly higher than that in breast muscle (p<0.01). The expression of ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase in lung was significantly higher than that in abdominal fat (p<0.01). This is the first clone of chicken ${\Delta}-6$ desaturase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1098-1102
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• 2009

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, C18:3 ${\Delta}^{6,9,12}$) is synthesized by a delta-6 fatty acid desaturase using linoleic acid (LA, C18:2 ${\Delta}^{9,12}$) as a substrate. To enable the production of GLA in the conventional yeast Pichia pastoris, we have isolated a cDNA encoding the delta-6 fatty acid desaturase from Cunninghamella echinulata MIAN6 and confirmed its function by heterogeneous expression in P. pastoris. Sequence analysis indicated that this cDNA sequence has an open reading frame of 1,404 bp, which encodes a 52 kDa peptide of 468 amino acids. This sequence has 64% identity to the previously reported delta-6 fatty acid desaturase from Rhizopus oryzae. The polypeptide has a cytochrome b5 domain at the N-terminus including the HPGG motif in the heme-binding region, as reported for other delta-6 fatty acid desaturases. In addition, this enzyme differs from other desaturases by the presence of three possible N-linked glycosylation sites. Analysis of the fatty acid composition demonstrated the accumulation of GLA to the level of 3.1% of the total fatty acids. Notably, the amounts of ginkgolic acid (C17:1) and palmitic acid (C16:0) were increased from 1.3% to 29.6% and from 15% to 33%, respectively. These results reveal that the modification of the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway by genetic manipulation in order to produce specific polyunsaturated fatty acids in P. pastoris is a promising technique.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.442-450
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• 1997

Conjugated dienoic derivatives of linoleic acid(CLA) are a mixture of positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid(LA). We previously found that CLA changes the fatty acid profile in chicken eggs and serum by decreasing monounsaturated fatty acids. Studies were conducted to explore the effects of CLA on fatty acid composition. Rabbits were fed a semisynthetic diet with or without CLA(0.5g CLA/rabbit/day) for 22 weeks. Compared to the control, rabbits fed CLA had significantly lower monounsaturated fatty acid levels(palmitoleic acid Cl6 : 1 by 50% and oleic acid Cl8 : 1, by 20%) in plasma lipids. We found similar differences in fatty acid composition in the liver and the aorta. The inhibitory effect of CLA on $\Delta$9 desaturation was confirmed in a human hepatoma cell line, Hep G2. CLA significantly decreased $\Delta$9 desaturation in 4-5 hours as shown by an increase in the ratio of Cl6 : 0 to C 16 1, This is apparently due to a decrease in $\Delta$9 desaturase(stearoyl-CoA desaturase, SCD) activity ; it was decreased more than 50%. These results, along with our previous findings, indicate that CLA is an inhibitor of $\Delta$9 desaturase in the liver.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1555-1562
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• 2010

Development of the strain and the fermentation process of Hansenula polymorpha was implemented for the production of ${\gamma}$-linolenic acid ($GLA,\;C18:3{\Delta}^{6,9,12}$), an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) that has been reported to possess a number of health benefits. The mutated ${\Delta}^6$-desaturase (S213A) gene of Mucor rouxii was expressed in H. polymorpha under the control of the methanol oxidase (MOX) promoter. Without the utilization of methanol, a high-cell-density culture of the yeast recombinant carrying the ${\Delta}^6$-desaturase gene was then achieved by fed-batch fermentation under glycerol-limited conditions. As a result, high levels of the ${\Delta}^6$-desaturated products, octadecadienoic acid ($C18:2{\Delta}^{6,9}$), GLA, and stearidonic acid ($C18:4{\Delta}^{6,9,12,15}$), were accumulated under the derepression conditions. The GLA production was also optimized by adjusting the specific growth rate. The results show that the specific growth rate affected both the lipid content and the fatty acid composition of the GLA-producing recombinant. Among the various specific growth rates tested, the highest GLA concentration of 697 mg/l was obtained in the culture with a specific growth rate of 0.08 /h. Interestingly, the fatty acid profile of the yeast recombinant bearing the Mucor ${\Delta}^6$-desaturase gene was similar to that of blackcurrant oil, with both containing similar proportions of n-3 and n-6 essential fatty acids.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.557-560
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• 2011

It has been known that Δ-desaturase (TAD5) in the biosynthetic pathway of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of Thraustochytrium aureumis responsible for the conversion of di-homo-${\gamma}$-linolenic acid (C20：4) into arachidonic acid (C20：4). The genetic sequence analysis on TAD5 of Thraustochytrium aureum ATCC34304 used in this study showed that it has two amino acid changes when compared to that of Thraustochytrium aureum TAD5 first reported in 2003. Accordingly, Thraustochytrium aureum ATCC34304 TAD5 was named TAD5_1. TAD5_1-inserted methylotropic Pichia pastoris was prepared and then cultured with a precursor fatty acid, di-homo-${\gamma}$-linolenic acid. GC analysis confirmed that a certain amount of the precursor fatty acid was converted into arachidonic acid. In this study, not only a recombinant Pichia pastoris with the typical activity of ${\Delta}5$-desaturase which plays an essential role in the biosynthesis of LCPUFAs was successfully made but also the preparationpotential of a recombinant Pichia pastoris strain which may synthesize eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that are important in maintaining and improving human's brain function was proposed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1413-1421
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• 2013

The marine microalga Isochrysis sphaerica is rich in the very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, $C20:5{\omega}-3$) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, $C22:6{\omega}-3$) that are important to human health. Here, we report a functional characterization of a ${\Delta}4$-fatty acid desaturase gene (FAD4) from I. sphaerica. IsFAD4 contains a 1,284 bp open reading frame encoding a 427 amino acid polypeptide. The deduced amino sequence comprises three conserved histidine motifs and a cytochrome b5 domain at its N-terminus. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that IsFad4 formed a unique Isochrysis clade distinct from the counterparts of other eukaryotes. Heterologous expression of IsFAD4 in Pichia pastoris showed that IsFad4 was able to desaturate docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) to form DHA, and the rate of converting DPA to DHA was 79.8%. These results throw light on the potential industrial production of specific polyunsaturated fatty acids through IsFAD4 transgenic yeast or oil crops.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.1279-1286
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• 2007

We investigated the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the fatty acid composition in the plasma and liver, and the expressions of delta-5 desaturase (D5D) and fatty acid desaturase2 (FADS2) genes in ICR male mice using two different sources of fats in the diets. The experimental groups were divided into four groups: beef tallow (BT) and fish oil (FO), BT with CLA supplementation (BTC), and FO with CLA supplementation (FOC) groups. Ten mice in each group were fed with the experimental diets for 4 weeks. All mice were fed experimental diets containing 12% of total dietary fat (w/w) either with or without 0.5% CLA (w/w). Fatty acid compositions were analyzed in the plasma and liver using gas chromatography. The levels of D5D and FADS2 expression were analyzed by RT-PCR in the liver The results showed that CLA participates competitively with C18:2 in the elongation and desaturation processes, leading to significant increase in the levels of C20:4 and C22:6 in BTC group (p<0.05). The expression levels of D5D and FADS2 were higher in BT and BTC group than those of FO and FOC group. In particular, the expression of D5D gene was greatly upregulated in BTC group. Furthermore, the conversion ratios from C18:2 to C20:4 in the liver were higher in BTC group than those in other groups. Thus our results suggest that increased expressions of DSD and FADS2 genes may be responsible for the enhanced CLA effects on the desaturation in the BT containing saturated fatty acids rather than the FO rich in n-3 PUFA.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.463-471
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• 2018

Perilla is an oilseed crop cultivated in Korea since ancient times. Due to the high ${\alpha}-linolenic$ acid content in perilla, perilla seed oil can easily become rancid. ${\alpha}-Linolenic$ acid is synthesized by two enzymes, endoplasmic reticulum-localized ${\Delta}15$ desaturase (FAD3) and chloroplast-localized ${\Delta}15$ desaturase (FAD7) in vivo. In order to lower the ${\alpha}-linolenic$ acid content of the seed oil without disturbing plant growth, we tried to suppress the expression of only the FAD3 gene using RNA interference, whilst maintaining the expression of the FAD7 gene. Seventeen transgenic plants with herbicide ($Basta^{TM}$) resistance were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using hypocotyls of perilla plants. The transgenic plants were firstly confirmed by treatment with 0.3% (v/v) $Basta^{TM}$ herbicide, and the expression of FAD3 was measured by Northern blot analysis. The ${\alpha}-linolenic$ acid content was 10-20%, 30-40%, and 60% in two, seven, and three of the twelve $T_1$ transgenic perilla plants which had enough seeds to be analyzed for fatty acid composition, respectively. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of $T_2$ progeny seeds from $T_1$ plants with the lowest ${\alpha}-linolenic$ acid content showed that the homozygous lines had 6-10% ${\alpha}-linolenic$ acid content and the heterozygous lines had 20-26% ${\alpha}-linolenic$ acid content. It is expected that the reduction in ${\alpha}-linolenic$ acid content in perilla seed oil will prevent rancidity and can be utilized for the production of high-value functional ingredients such as high ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2017

Two major sex pheromone components (Z-8-dodecenyl acetate and E-8-dodecenyl acetate) are known in the peach fruit moth, Grapholita molesta. From a putative biosynthetic pathway of these sex pheromone components, delta 10 desaturase ($10{\Delta}$ DES) has been proposed to play a crucial role in synthesizing a species-specific stereoisomer of the double bond. However, its molecular identity was not known. This study determined a putative desaturase (Gm-comp1575) as a $10{\Delta}$ DES candidate from G. molesta transcriptome constructed from the sex pheromone gland. Its open reading frame encodes 370 amino acid sequence with a predicted molecular weight at 43.2 kDa and isoelectric point at 8.77. It was predicted to have four transmembrane domains and six glycosylation sites at N-terminal or cytosolic domains. A phylogenetic analysis with its predicted amino acid sequence indicated that Gm-comp1575 is closely related with known $10{\Delta}$ DES genes of other insects. Gm-comp1575 transcript was detected in female adults at sex pheromone gland and other abdominal tissues. RNA interference of Gm-comp1575 significantly reduced attractiveness of virgin females in apple orchard compared to control females. These results suggest that Gm-comp1575 is associated with sex pheromone biosynthesis of G. molesta.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.20 no.2 s.91
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• pp.93-99
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• 2005

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, that is PUFAs, are important constituents of membranes particularly found in the retina and central nervous system. In microorganism-based PUFAs biosynthesis, the genus Thraustochytrids is well evaluated for their potential as a promising candidate in the practical production of PUFAs, such as AA and DHA. In this study, we attempted to optimize a method of total nucleic acid extraction from this microorganism as a preliminary experiment. Using the extracted nucleic acid and degenerated primers for direct PCR, we isolated a $\Delta5$ desaturase gene that contained 1320-nucleotide and encoded 439 amino acids. This gene exhibited an expected function, when expressed in P. pastoris in the presence of appropriate exogenous substrate, as an evidence for $\Delta5$ desaturase activity (conversion of DGLA to AA). These results and information could provide a basis for the construction of engineered strains suitable for the practical production of PUFAs.