Comparative genomics study of fatty acid desaturases in some microalgae

Abstract

Fatty acid desaturases are enzymes that introduce double bonds into the hydrocarbon chains of fatty acids to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). PUFAs have crucial roles in membrane biology and signaling processes in organisms ranging from bacteria to human. In this study, the fatty acid desaturases from 14 microalgal genomes were identified and classified based on their three conserved histidine-rich motifs, conserved cytochrome b5 (cytb5) and phylogenetic analysis. A new group of fatty acid desaturases were identified and some polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) biosynthesis pathways in some microalgae were proposed. Key words: fatty acid desaturases, microalgae, conserved histidine-rich motifs, cytb5, PUFA