Some studies of positional specificities of enzymic desaturation of long-chain fatty acids

Aerobic desaturation of long-chain fatty acids is virtually a universal process and it has been noted that under identical conditions the same organism or enzyme system will introduce the double bond into the same position in the fatty acid chain. The biosynthesis of long chain fatty acids is therefore a highly specific process. To date the specific factors which govern the position of the double bond in the fatty acid molecule have not been investigated. This thesis deals with work done to demonstrate the existence of aerobic desaturation in five systems typical of the whole spectrum of life viz. the yeast Torulopsis apicola the green alga Chlorella vulgaris, the embryo and endosperm of the castor plant Ricinis communis, a microsomal fraction of hen liver and a microsomal fraction from the mammary gland of a goat. [Continues.