Abstract
Nannochloropsis sp. is a unicellular marine alga that accumulates fatty acids in triacylglycerols (TAGs) as well as in membrane lipids [1], Whereas TAG contains mostly 16:0 and 16:1 (n-7) fatty acids, the phospholipids and galactolipids contain a large proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid [20:5 (n-3)]. The accumulation of this fatty acid is regulated by environmental conditions such as light intensity [2]. We have previously developed a preliminary model of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) synthesis based on pulse-chase radiolabeling studies [3] and analysis of a mutant strain deficient in 20:5 (n-3) (data not shown). The model proposes that C18 fatty acids are desaturated while attached to phosphatidylcholine (PC), whereas C20 fatty acids are desaturated when attached to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). The PUFAs formed on these extrachloroplastic lipids are the sole source for PUFAs that accumulate in monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG).
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References
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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Schneider, J.C., Roessler, P.G. (1995). A Novel Acyltransferase Activity in an Oleaginous Alga. In: Kader, JC., Mazliak, P. (eds) Plant Lipid Metabolism. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8394-7_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8394-7_30
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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