Genes for de novo biosynthesis of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are widespread in animals

Kabeya, Naoki; Fonseca, Miguel M.; Ferrier, David; Navarro, Juan Carlos; Bay, Line K.; Francis, David S.; Tocher, Douglas R.; Castro, L. Filipe C.; Monroig, Óscar

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aar6849

Cited by 282 publications

(299 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(77 reference statements)

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“…Consumers have recently been found to be capable of the de novo biosynthesis of long-chained PUFAs (Kabeya et al, 2018), but little is known about the efficiency of this route and the costs involved. Consumers have recently been found to be capable of the de novo biosynthesis of long-chained PUFAs (Kabeya et al, 2018), but little is known about the efficiency of this route and the costs involved.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is still largely unknown to what extent the fatty acid composition found in the diet is reflected in the consumers. Consumers have recently been found to be capable of the de novo biosynthesis of long-chained PUFAs (Kabeya et al, 2018), but little is known about the efficiency of this route and the costs involved. For example, Guo et al (2016) indicated different capacities in this respect between a mayfly and a caddisfly species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The emergence of fatty acids—Aquatic insects as vectors along a productivity gradient

et al. 2019

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1. Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems differ fundamentally in the abundance of longchained polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3), which are produced by aquatic algae, but only in low quantities by terrestrial plants. Aquatic insects, such as Chironomidae (non-biting midges) feed on algae during their larval stage, making them rich in EPA and therefore high-quality prey for insectivores after emergence. However, the magnitude of EPA subsidies from aquatic insects may be different among water bodies in response to abiotic (e.g. nutrient load) as well as biotic factors (e.g. food web structure).2. To test the predation effects of crucian carp (Carassius carassius), nutrient concentrations, and Chironomidae community composition on the fatty acid export from aquatic ecosystems, we conducted a 25-day experiment across 20 1,500-L mesocosms covering a total phosphorus (TP) gradient of 20-1,000 µg/L.3. Twice a week, we collected adult emerging Chironomidae and found differences in fatty acid composition in the two most abundant chironomid species emerging from the mesocosms. Two PUFAs, α-linolenic acid and EPA, contributed to most of the variation in Chironomidae fatty acid content across the nutrient gradient.Whereas the proportions of α-linolenic acid were positively correlated to the mesocosm TP concentration, we found a negative correlation for the proportions of Chironomidae EPA and mesocosm TP concentration. However, despite lower biomass-specific EPA content at higher TP, higher biomass of emerging Chironomidae at intermediate TP concentrations resulted in higher total export of PUFAs from water to land. 4. Predation pressure from carp decreased the biomass of emerging Chironomidae on average 8-fold. Chironomidae biomass showed a hump-shaped relationship along the TP-gradient and was strongly influenced by periphyton biomass. 5. Export rates of EPA and fatty acids in general responded in a quadratic manner along the nutrient gradient, reaching a maximum value at a TP of 400 µg/L and decreasing thereafter.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The emergence of fatty acids—Aquatic insects as vectors along a productivity gradient

et al. 2019

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“…Essential fatty acids generally cannot be synthesised de novo by consumers in sufficient quantities to meet their needs (Brett & Mülller-Navarra, 1997;Vance & Vance, 2008); however, recent studies have observed the presence of specific desaturases that support the synthesis of ω-3 (n-3) unsaturated fatty acids from saturated ones in several lineages of invertebrates (Kabeya et al, 2018). fatty acids with more than two double bonds in their C chain) that are involved in maintaining cell structure, metabolism, growth and reproduction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…fatty acids with more than two double bonds in their C chain) that are involved in maintaining cell structure, metabolism, growth and reproduction. Essential fatty acids generally cannot be synthesised de novo by consumers in sufficient quantities to meet their needs (Brett & Mülller-Navarra, 1997;Vance & Vance, 2008); however, recent studies have observed the presence of specific desaturases that support the synthesis of ω-3 (n-3) unsaturated fatty acids from saturated ones in several lineages of invertebrates (Kabeya et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Browning reduces the availability—but not the transfer—of essential fatty acids in temperate lakes

et al. 2019

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Atmospheric changes are leading to the browning of northern lakes (i.e. increases in catchment‐derived dissolved organic matter [DOM]), consequently altering phytoplankton biomass and community composition. We hypothesised that lake browning and the concurrent increase in nutrients drive a shift towards greater cyanobacteria biomass. We further hypothesised that, as a consequence of this shift in phytoplankton, the content of ω‐3 (n‐3) essential fatty acids (EFA) in seston would decline, affecting the subsequent transfer of EFA to consumers across the plant–animal interface in pelagic regions of lakes. We tested these hypotheses in the epilimnion of 30 temperate lakes in Ontario (Canada), representing a gradient of lake browning, with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) ranging from 2 to 10 mg/L and total phosphorus ranging from 6.0 to 48.5 μg/L. In each of these lakes, the concentration and composition of DOM, the biomass of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, and the EFA content of seston, cladocerans, and copepods were measured. An increase in aromatic DOM was associated with increased phytoplankton and cyanobacteria biomass. Due to the lower content of the EFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n‐3) in cyanobacteria, this increase in phytoplankton biomass was associated with a decline in EPA and DHA content in lake seston. However, there was no significant change in EFA content of cladocerans and copepods. This homeostatic (diet‐independent) EFA composition in zooplankton suggested that, as the phytoplankton community shifted towards more cyanobacteria with lower EFA content, the cladocerans and copepods may have met their nutritional requirements by relying on alternative food sources (e.g. heterotrophic ciliates and flagellates) capable of either trophically upgrading phytoplankton‐produced EPA and DHA, or synthesising EPA and DHA de novo. Results from this study indicate that increasing DOC from low (2 mg DOC/L) to moderate levels (15 mg DOC/L) may increase the importance of the microbial pathway in the trophic transfer of EPA and DHA from basal resources to zooplankton. However, this supplementary transfer of EFA through the microbial food web may not sustain high EPA and DHA levels in zooplankton when lake browning starts to limit primary production (>15 mg DOC/L).

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“…Additional well-annotated crustacean sequences found to be most closely related to each 197 of the P. littoralis transcripts through blastx were added to the alignment. We also included putative desaturase 198 and elongase genes from the hydrozoan Hydra vulgaris and two w-end desaturase sequences from the copepods 199 Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus rogercresseyi (27). For each gene family, an unrooted maximum likelihood…”

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confidence: 99%

Fatty acid bioconversion in harpacticoid copepods in a changing environment: a transcriptomic approach

Boyen

Fink

Mensens

et al. 2019

Preprint

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By 2100, global warming is predicted to significantly reduce the capacity of marine primary producers for long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) synthesis. Primary consumers such as harpacticoid copepods (Crustacea) might mitigate the resulting adverse effects on the food web by increased LC-PUFA bioconversion. Here, we present a highquality de novo transcriptome assembly of the copepod Platychelipus littoralis, exposed to changes in both temperature (+3°C) and dietary LC-PUFA availability. Using this transcriptome, we detected multiple transcripts putatively encoding for LC-PUFA-bioconverting front-end fatty acid desaturases and elongases, and performed phylogenetic analyses to identify their relationship with sequences of other (crustacean) taxa. While temperature affected the absolute fatty acid concentrations in copepods, LC-PUFA levels remained unaltered even when copepods were fed a LC-PUFAdeficient diet. While this suggests plasticity of LC-PUFA bioconversion within P. littoralis, none of the putative frontend desaturase or elongase transcripts were differentially expressed under the applied treatments. Nevertheless, the transcriptome presented here provides a sound basis for future ecophysiological research on harpacticoid copepods.

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Genes for de novo biosynthesis of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are widespread in animals

Abstract: Multiple invertebrates possess enzymes enabling de novo biosynthesis of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Cited by 282 publications

References 40 publications

The emergence of fatty acids—Aquatic insects as vectors along a productivity gradient

The emergence of fatty acids—Aquatic insects as vectors along a productivity gradient

Browning reduces the availability—but not the transfer—of essential fatty acids in temperate lakes

Fatty acid bioconversion in harpacticoid copepods in a changing environment: a transcriptomic approach

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