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Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Fatty Acid 13C Isotopologue Profiling Provides Insight into Trophic Carbon Transfer and Lipid Metabolism of Invertebrate Consumers
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Fatty Acid Biosynthesis in Chromerids.

Aleš Tomčala1,2, Jan Michálek1,3, Ivana Schneedorferová1,3

  • 1Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Parasitology, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

Biomolecules
|July 30, 2020
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Summary

Fatty acid synthesis in chromerids involves plastid-localized pathways and cytosolic modifications. This study reveals insights into the evolution of parasitic apicomplexans from phototrophic ancestors.

Keywords:
Chromera veliaVitrella brassicaformisde novo biosynthesisdesaturationelongationevolutionfatty acids

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Parasitology

Background:

  • Fatty acids are crucial for cellular structures, particularly in organisms with complex life cycles.
  • Apicomplexans are significant parasites causing diseases in humans and livestock.
  • Understanding fatty acid synthesis in related organisms can illuminate parasite evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze fatty acid production in chromerids, the phototrophic relatives of apicomplexans.
  • To investigate genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis in chromerids.
  • To compare fatty acid synthesis pathways between chromerids and parasitic apicomplexans.

Main Methods:

  • Genomic data analysis to identify fatty acid synthesis genes.
  • Metabolomic data to analyze fatty acid profiles.
  • Comparative analysis between chromerids and apicomplexans.

Main Results:

  • Chromerids utilize a plastid-localized FAS-II pathway for de novo fatty acid synthesis up to C18.
  • Short saturated fatty acids are further modified in the cytosol and endoplasmic reticulum.
  • Giant FAS I-like enzymes potentially involved in polyketide synthesis and elongation were identified.

Conclusions:

  • A detailed model for fatty acid synthesis in chromerids has been proposed.
  • The findings offer insights into the reductive evolution from phototrophic algae to obligate parasites.
  • This research highlights the importance of fatty acid metabolism in understanding apicomplexan evolution.