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Extraction and Analysis of Microbial Phospholipid Fatty Acids in Soils
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Extraction and Analysis of Microbial Phospholipid Fatty Acids in Soils

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pfaB products determine the molecular species produced in bacterial polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis

Yoshitake Orikasa1, Mika Tanaka, Shinji Sugihara

  • 1Laboratory of Environmental Molecular Biology, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|May 21, 2009
PubMed

Insights

The enzyme PfaB is crucial for synthesizing both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in bacteria. This key enzyme determines whether EPA or DHA is produced, impacting polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like EPA and DHA are vital nutrients.
  • Microbial biosynthesis pathways offer a sustainable source of these fatty acids.
  • Understanding the genetic basis of PUFA synthesis is key to optimizing production.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of specific genes in the biosynthesis of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
  • To identify the key enzyme responsible for determining the final product (EPA or DHA) in microbial fatty acid synthesis.

Main Methods:

  • Coexpression of genes involved in EPA and DHA biosynthesis pathways in Escherichia coli.
  • Utilizing gene deletion constructs to assess the function of individual genes.
  • Analysis of fatty acid profiles in recombinant E. coli strains.

Main Results:

  • Coexpression of Moritella marina pfa genes for DHA and Shewanella pneumatophori pfa genes for EPA in E. coli resulted in PUFA synthesis.
  • The presence of pfaB was essential for the synthesis of both EPA and DHA.
  • Bacteria with inherent pfa genes for DHA also produced both EPA and DHA when PfaB was present.

Conclusions:

  • The enzyme PfaB plays a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of both EPA and DHA.
  • PfaB acts as a key determinant of the final polyunsaturated fatty acid product synthesized.
  • This finding has significant implications for metabolic engineering of PUFA production in microorganisms.

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