ENZYMES OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID BIOSYNTHESIS

RECENT CLINICAL INVESTIGATIONS HAVE INDICATED THAT DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS OF EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID (EPA) CAN REDUCE SERUM TRIGLYCERIDE AND CHOLESTEROL LEVELS. FURTHERMORE, INITIAL STUDIES HAVE REPORTED A SELECTIVE KILLING OF CERTAIN HUMAN CANCER CELLS BY TREATMENT OF THIS OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID. IF THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS ARE CONFIRMED, EPA MAY SOON BY CONSIDERED A VALUABLE FOOD ADDITIVE IN THE GENERAL CONSUMER MARKET, AS WELL AS A LOW-RISK CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENT IN THE TREATMENT OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AND/OR CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER. PRIMARY PRODUCERS OF EPA INCLUDE CERTAIN MARINE ALGAE AND A FEW FUNGI. TO MEET A GROWING PRODUCT DEMAND, WE PROPOSE TO ISOLATE THE GENETIC DETERMINANTS GOVERNING OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID BIOSYNTHESIS FROM SAPROLEGNIA PARACITICA AND TO EVENTUALLY TRANSFER THEM TO ANOIL PRODUCING CROP PLANT. AS A FIRST STEP TOWARD THIS END, WE WILL ISOLATE THE ENZYMATIC ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH ELONGATION AND DESATURATION OF LINOLENIC ACID USING RADIOTRACER TECHNIQUES. IN PHASE II, THE ENZYME(S) INVOLVED WILL BE PURIFIED AND THEIR GENES ISOLATED AS A PRELUDE TO GENE TRANSFER.