Molecular Cloning, mRNA Expression, and Nutritional Regulation of a Fatty Acyl Δ6-Desaturase-like Gene of the Manchurian Trout, Brachymystax lenok (Pallas)

The fatty acyl delta-6 desaturase (Δ6-desaturase) is a key rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). To study the effects of different oil sources in the feed on the nutritional regulation of Δ6-desaturase-like gene mRNA expression, the fulllength cDNA of the Δ6-desaturase-like gene was cloned from the liver of Manchurian trout (Brachymystax lenok). A 9-week feeding trial was performed, and the fish received diets with three different oil sources: fish oil (FO), sunflower oil (SO), and linseed oil (LO). The results showed that the 2448 bp long full-length cDNA contained an open reading frame (with a length of 1365 bp), encoding 454 amino acids. Gene expression analysis indicated that Δ6-desaturase-like gene mRNA is widely distributed throughout different tissues, with highest expression levels in both the liver and the brain. The linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) compositions were highest in LO and SO diets, respectively. The eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoioc acid composition in LO and SO diets were significantly lower than in the FO diet. Fish fed with SO and LO showed significantly higher liver expression levels of Δ6-desaturase-like gene mRNA than those fed with FO. This indicates that SO and LO in the diet affected the nutritional regulation of the Δ6-desaturase-like gene mRNA in the liver of the Manchurian trout. In addition, these data suggest that the Manchurian trout has the ability to synthesize long-chain unsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) from ALA and LA.