2020 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 111-117
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-PUFAs) have attracted attention because of their unique physiological function. The considerable abundances of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and α-linolenic acid in nature made possible the studies on their bioactivities. On the other hand, there are few reports on the other ω3-PUFAs, such as stearidonic acid, ω3-eicosatetraenoic acid and ω3-docosapentaenoic acid (ω3-DPA), because their supply has been limited to date. These minor ω3-PUFAs have been expected to possess beneficial function as precursors of bioactive substances as well as DHA and so on. Therefore, sufficient supply of such rare PUFAs has been required for elucidation of their physiological function.
ω3-DPA has been reported to be present in several natural oils obtained from harp seal and so on, but the content of ω3-DPA was no more than 5 % in total fatty acids. Thus, recent investigations have focused on ω3-PUFAs production by alternative source such as oleaginous microbes, fungi, plants and microalgae. In particular, we focused on Labyrinthulea, one of representative oleaginous microbes, as stable and rich source of ω3-DPA. In this paper, we introduce the study of production of ω3-DPA by isolated Labyrinthulea, Aurantiochytrium sp. T7.
