Biosynthesis of nervonic acid and perspectives for its production by microalgae and other microorganisms

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 102; no. 7; pp. 3027 - 3035
• Main Authors: Fan, Yong, Meng, Hui-Min, Hu, Guang-Rong, Li, Fu-Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2018; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; Aquatic microorganisms; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Chains; Elongation; Fatty acids; Fungi; Gene expression; genes; heterologous gene expression; Life Sciences; malonyl coenzyme A; mammals; Mental disorders; Metabolism; Methods; Microalgae; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Mini-Review; nervonic acid; neurodevelopment; Neurological diseases; Oleic acid; Physiological aspects; plants (botany); Psychosis; Substantia alba; Yeast; yeasts; Metabolic engineering; Synthetic biology; Very long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids; Cellular engineering; 3-Ketoacyl-CoA synthesis
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8859-y

Nervonic acid (NA) is a major very long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid found in the white matter of mammalian brains, which plays a critical role in the treatment of psychotic disorders and neurological development. In the nature, NA has been synthesized by a handful plants, fungi, and microalgae. Although the metabolism of fatty acid has been studied for decades, the biosynthesis of NA has yet to be illustrated. Generally, the biosynthesis of NA is considered starting from oleic acid through fatty acid elongation, in which malonyl-CoA and long-chain acyl-CoA are firstly condensed by a rate-limiting enzyme 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS). Heterologous expression of kcs gene from high NA producing species in plants and yeast has led to synthesis of NA. Nevertheless, it has also been reported that desaturases in a few plants can catalyze very long-chain saturated fatty acid into NA. This review highlights recent advances in the biosynthesis, the sources, and the biotechnological aspects of NA.