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Isolation and Characterisation of a Δ5-fatty Acid Elongase from the Marine Microalga Pavlova salina

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Abstract

The marine microalga Pavlova salina (Haptophyta, Pavlovophyceae) produces lipids containing approximately 50% n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A full-length cDNA sequence, designated PsElo5, was isolated from P. salina. Sequence alignment showed that the gene was homologous to corresponding ELO-type elongases from other microalgae. Heterologous expression of PsElo5 in yeast and in higher plants confirmed that it encodes a specific Δ5-elongase activity as predicted and, furthermore, within the n-3 pathway, the elongation activity was confined exclusively to EPA.

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Acknowledgement

Danny Holdsworth managed the Hobart GC–MS facility. We are grateful for the helpful comments of Professor Miyachi and two anonymous Marine Biotechnology referees on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Futures National Research Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia

    Stanley S. Robert, Maged P. Mansour, Susan I. Blackburn & Peter D. Nichols

  2. Food Futures National Research Flagship, CSIRO Plant Industry, P.O. Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

    James R. Petrie, Xue-Rong Zhou & Surinder P. Singh

  3. CSIRO Plant Industry, P.O. Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

    Allan G. Green

Authors
  1. Stanley S. Robert
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  2. James R. Petrie
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  3. Xue-Rong Zhou
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  4. Maged P. Mansour
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  5. Susan I. Blackburn
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  6. Allan G. Green
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  7. Surinder P. Singh
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  8. Peter D. Nichols
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Correspondence to Peter D. Nichols.

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Robert, S.S., Petrie, J.R., Zhou, XR. et al. Isolation and Characterisation of a Δ5-fatty Acid Elongase from the Marine Microalga Pavlova salina . Mar Biotechnol 11, 410–418 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-008-9157-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-008-9157-y

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