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Updated: Apr 29, 2026

Assessing Whole-Body Lipid-Handling Capacity in Mice
Published on: November 24, 2020
Transgenic mice convert carbohydrates to essential fatty acids
Victor J Pai1, Bin Wang1, Xiangyong Li1
1Laboratory for Lipid Medicine and Technology (LLMT), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Abstract:
Transgenic mice (named "Omega mice") were engineered to carry both optimized fat-1 and fat-2 genes from the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans and are capable of producing essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids from saturated fats or carbohydrates. When maintained on a high-saturated fat diet lacking essential fatty acids or a high-carbohydrate, no-fat diet, the Omega mice exhibit high tissue levels of both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, with a ratio of ∼1∶1. This study thus presents an innovative technology for the production of both omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids, as well as a new animal model for understanding the true impact of fat on human health.
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