Fatty acid desaturase 3-mediated α-linolenic acid biosynthesis in plants

Mohammad Fazel Soltani Gishini; Pradeep Kachroo; David Hildebrand

doi:10.1093/plphys/kiaf012

Fatty acid desaturase 3-mediated α-linolenic acid biosynthesis in plants

Mohammad Fazel Soltani Gishini, Pradeep Kachroo, David Hildebrand

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Omega-3 fatty acids (ω3 FAs) are essential components of cell membranes that also serve as precursors of numerous regulatory molecules. α-Linolenic acid (ALA), one of the most important ω3 FAs in plants, is synthesized in both the plastid and extraplastidial compartments. FA desaturase 3 (FAD3) is an extraplastidial enzyme that converts linoleic acid (LA) to ALA. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that FAD3 proteins are distinct from FAD7 and FAD8 desaturases, which convert LA to ALA in plastids. Structural analysis of FAD3 proteins indicated a positive relationship between enzymatic activity and transmembrane pore length and width. An inverse relationship between temperature and ALA biosynthesis was also evident, with ALA accumulation decreasing with increasing temperature. These findings suggest that certain FAD3 enzymes are more effective at converting LA to ALA than others. This information could potentially be used to engineer crop plants with higher levels of ALA.

Original language	English
Article number	kiaf012
Journal	Plant Physiology
Volume	197
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf012
State	Published - Feb 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Funding

We thank all laboratory members, current and past, who have contributed to our investigations of fatty acids and lipids. Our sincere apologies to authors, whose relevant articles were not cited here due to textual limitation. Research in our laboratories is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (IOS#051909, IOS#0817818), USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (GRANT13323564), and the Hatch projects (1014539, KY006146).

Funders	Funder number
US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative	KY006146, GRANT13323564, 1014539
US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
U.S. Department of Energy Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Project Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment National Science Foundation National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center National Natural Science Foundation of China	0817818, IOS#051909
U.S. Department of Energy Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Project Oak Ridge National Laboratory Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment National Science Foundation National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center National Natural Science Foundation of China

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physiology
Genetics
Plant Science

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abstract = "Omega-3 fatty acids (ω3 FAs) are essential components of cell membranes that also serve as precursors of numerous regulatory molecules. α-Linolenic acid (ALA), one of the most important ω3 FAs in plants, is synthesized in both the plastid and extraplastidial compartments. FA desaturase 3 (FAD3) is an extraplastidial enzyme that converts linoleic acid (LA) to ALA. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that FAD3 proteins are distinct from FAD7 and FAD8 desaturases, which convert LA to ALA in plastids. Structural analysis of FAD3 proteins indicated a positive relationship between enzymatic activity and transmembrane pore length and width. An inverse relationship between temperature and ALA biosynthesis was also evident, with ALA accumulation decreasing with increasing temperature. These findings suggest that certain FAD3 enzymes are more effective at converting LA to ALA than others. This information could potentially be used to engineer crop plants with higher levels of ALA.",

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AU - Gishini, Mohammad Fazel Soltani

AU - Kachroo, Pradeep

AU - Hildebrand, David

PY - 2025/2

Y1 - 2025/2

N2 - Omega-3 fatty acids (ω3 FAs) are essential components of cell membranes that also serve as precursors of numerous regulatory molecules. α-Linolenic acid (ALA), one of the most important ω3 FAs in plants, is synthesized in both the plastid and extraplastidial compartments. FA desaturase 3 (FAD3) is an extraplastidial enzyme that converts linoleic acid (LA) to ALA. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that FAD3 proteins are distinct from FAD7 and FAD8 desaturases, which convert LA to ALA in plastids. Structural analysis of FAD3 proteins indicated a positive relationship between enzymatic activity and transmembrane pore length and width. An inverse relationship between temperature and ALA biosynthesis was also evident, with ALA accumulation decreasing with increasing temperature. These findings suggest that certain FAD3 enzymes are more effective at converting LA to ALA than others. This information could potentially be used to engineer crop plants with higher levels of ALA.

AB - Omega-3 fatty acids (ω3 FAs) are essential components of cell membranes that also serve as precursors of numerous regulatory molecules. α-Linolenic acid (ALA), one of the most important ω3 FAs in plants, is synthesized in both the plastid and extraplastidial compartments. FA desaturase 3 (FAD3) is an extraplastidial enzyme that converts linoleic acid (LA) to ALA. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that FAD3 proteins are distinct from FAD7 and FAD8 desaturases, which convert LA to ALA in plastids. Structural analysis of FAD3 proteins indicated a positive relationship between enzymatic activity and transmembrane pore length and width. An inverse relationship between temperature and ALA biosynthesis was also evident, with ALA accumulation decreasing with increasing temperature. These findings suggest that certain FAD3 enzymes are more effective at converting LA to ALA than others. This information could potentially be used to engineer crop plants with higher levels of ALA.

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Fatty acid desaturase 3-mediated α-linolenic acid biosynthesis in plants

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

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