Nature Article on Omega-3 and Omega-6

Article Nature (Nature 2004; 427:504)

A study published in the journal Nature demonstrates that mice with the fat-1 gene modified are able to transform fatty acids omega-6 into omega-3. The work suggests a new line of investigation for the prevention of diverse illnesses.

The team of Jing Kang from Harvard University demonstrated that a mouse carrying the fat-1 gene of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can duplicate the union of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the hydrocarbon chain and transform them into omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

The work published in Nature offers the opportunity to investigate the role of omega-3 fatty acids in the organism. The discovery also indicates that this technology can be adapted in order to enrich different animal products, such as meat, milk and eggs, with omega-3 fatty acids.

The fat-1 gene of C. elegans codifies the unsaturated enzyme of omega-3 fatty acids, converting omega-6 into omega-3, which is absent in most mammals.

Transformation

The tissue of unaltered mice contained polyunsaturated fatty acids with low quantity of omega-3, while the tissues of the fat-1 gene carriers presented high concentrations of polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids. The concentrations of linoleic omega-6 and arachidonic acids in the tissues of the transgenic mice were low, indicating that omega-6 had been converted into omega-3.

The work suggests a strategy to produce food enriched with omega-3 fatty acids starting with livestock as carriers of the unsaturated omega-3 transgene.

The transgenic mice used in the study also offer a model to investigate biological functions of omega-3 fatty acids and establish the importance of balance between omega-6 and omega-3 in prevention and treatment research.

Source: Diariomedico.com