K. Laoteng et al., Delta(6)-Desaturase of Mucor rouxii with high similarity to plant Delta(6)-desaturase and its heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, BIOC BIOP R, 279(1), 2000, pp. 17-22
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Biochemistry & Biophysics
Journal title
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, gamma -C18:3) is an essential fatty acid that pl
ays a vital role in biological structures and cellular functions. Based on
available sequence information and using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) te
chnique, we cloned from the fungus Mucor rouxii the entire coding sequence
of a Delta (6)-desaturase enzyme, which is responsible for the transformati
on of linoleic acid into GLA. The deduced amino acid sequence of M. rouxii
gene showed the highest homology with the plant Delta6-desaturase. It compr
ises the characteristics of membrane-bound desaturases, including histidine
-rich motifs and hydrophobic regions. A cytochrome b(5)-like domain was obs
erved at the N-terminus. In addition to three conserved histidine-rich moti
fs, we found an additional histidine-rich motif, HKHHSH, downstream of the
cytochrome b(5)-like domain, which is not present in previously cloned Delt
a (6)-desaturase genes. Heterologous expression of the M. rouxii cDNA in Sa
ccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in the synthesis and accumulation of GLA. (
C) 2000 Academic Press.