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Saturated Fatty Acids Induce Ceramide-associated Macrophage Cell Death
Published on: October 31, 2017
DESATURATION AND RELATED MODIFICATIONS OF FATTY ACIDS1
John Shanklin1, Edgar B. Cahoon
1Department of Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973;
Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology
|March 12, 2004
Summary
Enzymatic desaturation of fatty acids involves oxygen and energy. Two enzyme classes, soluble and membrane-bound, share motifs and may use diiron clusters for catalysis, offering potential for crop oil improvement.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Enzymology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Fatty acid desaturation is a crucial biological process.
- It requires activated oxygen and is energy-intensive.
- Two distinct classes of desaturase enzymes exist: soluble and membrane-bound.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and classify desaturase enzymes based on their consensus motifs.
- To investigate the catalytic mechanisms and structural similarities of these enzyme classes.
- To explore the potential for enzyme engineering in improving oil crops.
Main Methods:
- Database searching for conserved enzyme motifs.
- Comparative analysis of soluble and membrane-bound desaturase classes.
- Biochemical and structural characterization of enzyme active sites.
Main Results:
- Two distinct enzyme classes identified: soluble (carboxylate/histidine motifs) and membrane-bound (histidine motifs).
- Both classes likely utilize diiron clusters for catalysis.
- Enzymes from both classes have been successfully re-engineered for altered substrate specificity and reaction outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Desaturase enzymes represent multifunctional enzyme classes with conserved catalytic mechanisms.
- Enzyme re-engineering holds promise for developing novel enzymatic activities.
- Rational design of desaturases can lead to improved oil crop characteristics.
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