delta-6 fatty acid desaturase complex

^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Function

the same multienzyme complex catalyzes the desaturation of w9, w7, w6, & w3 unsaturated fatty acids
the delta-6 fatty acid desaturase gives preference to the fatty acid with the most number of double bonds
it is rate limiting in the conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid^[3]^[4]

↑ Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations, 3rd ed., TM Devlin (ed), Wiley-Liss, NY 1992 pg 399
↑ Sardesai VM. The essential fatty acids. Nutr Clin Pract. 1992 Aug;7(4):179-86. Review. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1294887
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Davis BC, Kris-Etherton PM. Achieving optimal essential fatty acid status in vegetarians: current knowledge & practical implications. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3 Suppl):640S-646S. Review. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12936959
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 James MJ, Ursin VM, Cleland LG. Metabolism of stearidonic acid in human subjects: comparison with the metabolism of other n-3 fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 May;77(5):1140-5. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12716664