Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis
Elongation of very long-chain fatty acid (Elovl) proteins are key enzymes that catalyze the rate-limiting step in the fatty acid elongation pathway. The most recently discovered member of the Elovl family, Elovl8, has been proposed to be a fish-specific elongase with two gene paralogs described in t...
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Genes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/8/1287 |
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| author | Shouxiang Sun Yumei Wang Pei-Tian Goh Mónica Lopes-Marques L. Filipe C. Castro Óscar Monroig Meng-Kiat Kuah Xiaojuan Cao Alexander Chong Shu-Chien Jian Gao |
| author_facet | Shouxiang Sun Yumei Wang Pei-Tian Goh Mónica Lopes-Marques L. Filipe C. Castro Óscar Monroig Meng-Kiat Kuah Xiaojuan Cao Alexander Chong Shu-Chien Jian Gao |
| author_sort | Shouxiang Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Elongation of very long-chain fatty acid (Elovl) proteins are key enzymes that catalyze the rate-limiting step in the fatty acid elongation pathway. The most recently discovered member of the Elovl family, Elovl8, has been proposed to be a fish-specific elongase with two gene paralogs described in teleosts. However, the biological functions of Elovl8 are still to be elucidated. In this study, we showed that in contrast to previous findings, <i>elovl8</i> is not unique to teleosts, but displays a rather unique and ample phylogenetic distribution. For functional determination, we generated <i>elovl8a</i> (<i>elovl8a<sup>−</sup></i><sup>/<i>−</i></sup>) and <i>elovl8b</i> (<i>elovl8b<sup>−</sup></i><sup>/<i>−</i></sup>) zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Fatty acid composition in vivo and zebrafish liver cell experiments suggest that the substrate preference of Elovl8 overlapped with other existing Elovl enzymes. Zebrafish Elovl8a could elongate the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) C18:2n-6 and C18:3n-3 to C20:2n-6 and C20:3n-3, respectively. Along with PUFA, zebrafish Elovl8b also showed the capacity to elongate C18:0 and C20:1. Gene expression quantification suggests that Elovl8a and Elovl8b may play a potentially important role in fatty acid biosynthesis. Overall, our results provide novel insights into the function of Elovl8a and Elovl8b, representing additional fatty acid elongases not previously described in chordates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:46:25Z |
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| id | doaj.art-040e9a751d744a6e9abd33361b4d57c0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:46:25Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Genes |
| spelling | doaj.art-040e9a751d744a6e9abd33361b4d57c02023-11-22T07:47:13ZengMDPI AGGenes2073-44252021-08-01128128710.3390/genes12081287Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid BiosynthesisShouxiang Sun0Yumei Wang1Pei-Tian Goh2Mónica Lopes-Marques3L. Filipe C. Castro4Óscar Monroig5Meng-Kiat Kuah6Xiaojuan Cao7Alexander Chong Shu-Chien8Jian Gao9Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, College of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaKey Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, College of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCenter for Chemical Biology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bayan Lepas 11800, Penang, MalaysiaCIIMAR/CIMAR—Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4099002 Porto, PortugalCIIMAR/CIMAR—Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4099002 Porto, PortugalInstituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal (IATS-CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes, 12595 Castellon, SpainCenter for Chemical Biology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bayan Lepas 11800, Penang, MalaysiaKey Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, College of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCenter for Chemical Biology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Bayan Lepas 11800, Penang, MalaysiaKey Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, College of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaElongation of very long-chain fatty acid (Elovl) proteins are key enzymes that catalyze the rate-limiting step in the fatty acid elongation pathway. The most recently discovered member of the Elovl family, Elovl8, has been proposed to be a fish-specific elongase with two gene paralogs described in teleosts. However, the biological functions of Elovl8 are still to be elucidated. In this study, we showed that in contrast to previous findings, <i>elovl8</i> is not unique to teleosts, but displays a rather unique and ample phylogenetic distribution. For functional determination, we generated <i>elovl8a</i> (<i>elovl8a<sup>−</sup></i><sup>/<i>−</i></sup>) and <i>elovl8b</i> (<i>elovl8b<sup>−</sup></i><sup>/<i>−</i></sup>) zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Fatty acid composition in vivo and zebrafish liver cell experiments suggest that the substrate preference of Elovl8 overlapped with other existing Elovl enzymes. Zebrafish Elovl8a could elongate the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) C18:2n-6 and C18:3n-3 to C20:2n-6 and C20:3n-3, respectively. Along with PUFA, zebrafish Elovl8b also showed the capacity to elongate C18:0 and C20:1. Gene expression quantification suggests that Elovl8a and Elovl8b may play a potentially important role in fatty acid biosynthesis. Overall, our results provide novel insights into the function of Elovl8a and Elovl8b, representing additional fatty acid elongases not previously described in chordates.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/8/1287<i>elovl8</i>gene knockoutzebrafishfatty acid synthesis |
| spellingShingle | Shouxiang Sun Yumei Wang Pei-Tian Goh Mónica Lopes-Marques L. Filipe C. Castro Óscar Monroig Meng-Kiat Kuah Xiaojuan Cao Alexander Chong Shu-Chien Jian Gao Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis Genes <i>elovl8</i> gene knockout zebrafish fatty acid synthesis |
| title | Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis |
| title_full | Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis |
| title_fullStr | Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis |
| title_short | Evolution and Functional Characteristics of the Novel <i>elovl8</i> That Play Pivotal Roles in Fatty Acid Biosynthesis |
| title_sort | evolution and functional characteristics of the novel i elovl8 i that play pivotal roles in fatty acid biosynthesis |
| topic | <i>elovl8</i> gene knockout zebrafish fatty acid synthesis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/12/8/1287 |
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