Summary
The progress made in the knowledge of the microsomal fatty acid desaturation reaction is described:
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1.
Studies suggest that different enzymes produce 9, 6, and 5-desaturation.
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2.
The 6-desaturation of fatty acids would be the principal regulatory step in the biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids in rat microsomes.
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3.
The desaturation of fatty acids is quantitatively modified by competitive reactions among acids of the same or different families, and by competition with fatty acid incorporation in the lipids.
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4.
Dietary components, especially carbohydrates and protein modify quantitatively the fatty acid desaturation. Protein would induce the 6-desaturation reaction.
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5.
Insulin modifies the 6-desaturation reaction through a dual effect: one modifying glucose metabolism, and the other through enzymatic induction.
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6.
ATP increases the 6-desaturation of fatty acids.
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7.
By mild extraction of the microsomes with buffered KCl sucrose solution, a “soluble” fraction was separated that was necessary for a full desaturation activity of the microsomes. The nature of this factor is discussed.
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8.
The main features that characterize the 6-desaturation reaction are discussed and the possible structure of the enzyme outlined.
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Brenner, R.R. The oxidative desaturation of unsaturated fatty acids in animals. Mol Cell Biochem 3, 41–52 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01660076
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01660076