Disease relevance of fat-1

• RESULTS: Infection of MCF-7 cells with an adenovirus carrying the fat-1 gene resulted in a high expression of the n-3 fatty acid desaturase [1].
• MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adenoviral strategies were used to introduce the C. elegans fat-1 gene encoding an n-3 fatty acid desaturase into human breast cancer cells followed by examination of the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio and growth of the cells [1].
• These findings indicate that the C. elegans fat-1 gene encodes the first animal representative of a class of glycerolipid desaturases that have previously been characterized in plants and cyanobacteria [2].

High impact information on fat-1

• Heterologous expression of the fat-1 gene in rat cardiac myocytes rendered cells capable of converting various n--6 PUFAs to the corresponding n--3 PUFAs, and changed the n--6/n--3 ratio from about 15:1 to 1:1 [3].
• When expressed in transgenic plants, fat-1 resulted in a 90% increase in the proportion of alpha-linolenic acid in root lipids [2].
• Matrigel assay for invasion potential indicated a 2-fold reduction of cell migration in the fat-1 transgenic cells when compared with the control cells [4].
• An increased apoptosis was also observed in the fat-1 transgenic cells [4].
• Cell adhesion assay showed that the cells expressing fat-1 gene had a delayed adhesion and retarded colonization [4].

Biological context of fat-1

• Finally, there was a significant inhibition of growth factor withdrawal-induced apoptotic cell death in neurons expressing the fat-1 gene [5].
• The synthesis of n-3 PUFA is achieved through the expression of the fat-1 transgene encoding for an n-3 desaturase from Caenorhabditis elegans, which utilizes n-6 PUFA as substrate [6].
• The predicted protein is highly homologous both to the cloned plant genes with similar function and to the published sequence of the C. elegans omega-3 fatty acid desaturase [7].

Anatomical context of fat-1

• N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids endogenously synthesized in fat-1 mice are enriched in the mammary gland [6].

Associations of fat-1 with chemical compounds

• In addition, it conforms to the structural constraints expected of a membrane-bound fatty acid desaturase including the canonical histidine-rich regions [7].

References