The mammalian #6-desaturase coded by fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2; HSA11q12-q13.1) catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step for the biosynthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. FADS2 is known to act on at least five substrates, and we hypothesized that the FADS2 gene product would have #8-desaturase activity. Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with a FADS2 construct from baboon neonate liver cDNA gained the function to desaturate 11,14-eicosadienoic acid (20:2n-6) and 11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (20:3n-3) to yield 20:3n-6 and 20:4n-3, respectively. Competition experiments indicate that #8-desaturation favors activity toward 20:3n-3 over 20:2n-6 by 3-fold. Similar experiments show that #6-desaturase activity is favored over #8-desaturase activity by 7-fold and 23-fold for n-6 (18:2n-6 vs 20:2n-6) and n-3 (18:3n-3 vs 20:3n-3), respectively. In mammals, 20:3n-6 is the immediate precursor of prostaglandin E1 and thromboxane B1. 20:3n-6 and 20:4n-3 are also immediate precursors of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, respectively. These findings provide unequivocal molecular evidence for a novel alternative biosynthetic route to long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in mammals from substrates previously considered to be dead-end products.-Park, W. J., K. S. D. Kothapalli, P. Lawrence, C. Tyburczy, and J. T.Brenna. An alternate pathway to long-chain polyunsaturates: the FADS2 gene product #8-desaturates 20:2n-6 and 20:3n-3. J. Lipid Res. 2009Res. . 50: 1195Res. -1202 Supplementary key words polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis • dihomo-g-linolenic acid • eicosanoid precursor biosynthesis Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) are ubiquitous in mammalian tissue, achieving highest concentrations in the membranes of neural and other excitable tissue (1). LCPUFA of the n-3 and n-6 families, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3), docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3), and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6), are bioactive components of membrane phospholipids and serve as substrates for signaling molecules (2). The degree of unsaturation of the membranes is determined by the action of enzymes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism (3). Most organisms synthesize unsaturated fatty acids, but the pathways are specific to cell types and species.Fatty acid desaturases are enzymes that catalyze the introduction of cis double bonds at specific positions in a fatty acid chain (4). Desaturases in plants and lower animal species can introduce double bonds near the methyl end. Eukaryotic cells of higher animals, fungi, and dinoflagellates express membrane-bound acyl-CoA front-end desaturases (5, 6) catalyzing double bond introduction into the D6, D5, D8, and D4 positions. Mammalian front-end desaturases operate on diet-derived PUFA to synthesize LCPUFA, which can also be derived from the diet but possibly not in sufficient quantities to optimize health (7).The front-end desaturases are remarkable for their structural similarity and functiona...

Purpose of Review Endogenous synthesis of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) is mediated by the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster (11q12-13.1) and elongation of very long chain fatty acids 2 (ELOVL2) (6p24.2) and ELOVL5 (6p12.1). Though older biochemical work identified the product of one gene, FADS2, rate limiting for LCPUFA synthesis, recent studies suggest that polymorphisms in any of these genes can limit accumulation of product LCPUFA. Recent findings Genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Greenland Inuit show strong adaptation signals within FADS gene cluster, attributed to high omega-3 fatty acid intake, while GWAS found ELOVL2 associated with sleep duration, age and DNA methylation. ELOVL5 coding mutations cause spinocerebellar ataxia 38, and epigenetic marks were associated with depression and suicide risk. Two sterol response element binding sites were found on ELOVL5, a SREBP-1c target gene. Minor allele carriers of a 3 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotype in ELOVL2 have decreased 22:6n-3 levels. Unequivocal molecular evidence shows mammalian FADS2 catalyzes direct Δ4-desaturation to yield 22:6n-3 and 22:5n-6. A SNP near FADS1 influences the levels of 5-lipoxygenase products and epigenetic alteration. Summary Genetic polymorphisms within FADS and ELOVL can limit LCPUFA product accumulation at any step of the biosynthetic pathway.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a Δ4-desaturated C22 fatty acid and the limiting highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) in neural tissue. The biosynthesis of Δ4-desaturated docosanoid fatty acids 22:6n-3 and 22:5n-6 are believed to proceed via a circuitous biochemical pathway requiring repeated use of a fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) protein to perform Δ6 desaturation on C24 fatty acids in the endoplasmic reticulum followed by 1 round of β-oxidation in the peroxisomes. We demonstrate here that the FADS2 gene product can directly Δ4-desaturate 22:5n-3→22:6n-3 (DHA) and 22:4n-6→22:5n-6. Human MCF-7 cells lacking functional FADS2-mediated Δ6-desaturase were stably transformed with FADS2, FADS1, or empty vector. When incubated with 22:5n-3 or 22:4n-6, FADS2 stable cells produce 22:6n-3 or 22:5n-6, respectively. Similarly, FADS2 stable cells when incubated with d5-18:3n-3 show synthesis of d5-22:6n-3 with no labeling of 24:5n-3 or 24:6n-3 at 24 h. Further, both C24 fatty acids are shown to be products of the respective C22 fatty acids via elongation. Our results demonstrate that the FADS2 classical transcript mediates direct Δ4 desaturation to yield 22:6n-3 and 22:5n-6 in human cells, as has been widely shown previously for desaturation by fish and many other organisms.

The common housefly, Musca domestica, is a considerable component of nutrient recycling in the environment. Use of housefly larvae to biodegrade manure presents an opportunity to reduce waste disposal while the rapidly assimilated insect biomass can also be used as a protein rich animal feed. In this study, we examine the biodegradation of dairy cattle manure using housefly larvae, and the nutritional value of the resulting larva meal as a feed ingredient. Our results demonstrated that dairy cattle manure presents a balanced substrate for larval growth, and the spent manure showed reductions in concentration of total nitrogen (24.9%) and phosphorus (6.2%) with an overall reduction in mass. Larva yield at an optimum density was approximately 2% of manure weight. Nutritional analysis of M. domestica larva meal showed values comparable to most high protein feed ingredients. Larva meal was 60% protein with a well-balanced amino acid profile, and 20% fat with 57% monounsaturated fatty acids, and 39% saturated fatty acids. Larva meal lacked any significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Evaluation of micronutrients in larva meal suggested that it is a good source of calcium and phosphorus (0.5% and 1.1% respectively). The nutritional value of larva meal closely matches that of fishmeal, making it a potentially attractive alternative for use as a protein-rich feed ingredient for livestock and aquaculture operations.