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Fatty acid metabolism in an oribatid mite: de novo biosynthesis and the effect of starvation

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Abstract

The fatty acid (FA) composition of lipids in animals is influenced by factors such as species, life stage, availability and type of food, as well as the ability to synthesize certain FAs de novo. We investigated the effect of starvation on the neutral lipid (NLFA) and phospholipid (PLFA) fatty acid patterns of the oribatid mite Archegozetes longisetosus Aoki. Furthermore, we performed stable-isotope labeled precursors feeding experiments under axenic conditions to delineate de novo FA synthesis by profiling 13C and deuterium incorporation via single-ion monitoring. Starvation of mites resulted in a decline in the total amount of NLFAs and significantly changed the fatty acid patterns, indicating that NLFAs were metabolized selectively. Biochemical tracer experiments confirmed that oribatid mites, like other animals, can produce stearic (18:0) and oleic acid (18:1ω9) de novo. Mass spectrometric data also revealed that they appear to synthesize linoleic acid [18:2ω6,9 = (9Z,12Z)-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid]—an ability restricted only to a few arthropod taxa, including astigmatid mites. The physiological and biosynthesis processes revealed here are crucial to understand the potential biomarker function of fatty acids—especially 18:2ω6,9—in oribatid mites and their applicability in soil animal food web studies.

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Acknowledgements

Adrian Brückner is a Simons Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation. This study was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG; HE 4593/5-1).

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  1. Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

    Adrian Brückner

  2. Ecological Networks, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstraße 3, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Michael Heethoff

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  1. Adrian Brückner
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Correspondence to Adrian Brückner or Michael Heethoff.

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Brückner, A., Heethoff, M. Fatty acid metabolism in an oribatid mite: de novo biosynthesis and the effect of starvation. Exp Appl Acarol 81, 483–494 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00529-8

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