The biosynthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) provides an intriguing example on how multi-enzymatic cascades evolve. Essential LC-PUFA, such as arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA), can be acquired from the diet but are also endogenously retailored from C18 precursors through consecutive elongations and desaturations catalyzed, respectively, by f...

We evaluated the free fatty acids differences in plasma between hyperemesis gravidarum(HG) and healthy pregnant in first trimester pregnancy. OBJECTIVE We aimed to compare the plasma levels of DHA, AA and EPA, between HG patients and healthy pregnant women. DESIGN Fifty-two pregnants were involved in the study. Twenty-six pregnants of them were HG as study group, and twenty-six pregnants we...

The molecular-species compositions of the diacyl classes of the major phospholipids from the brain and retina of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were determined. A total of 46 possible species was identified. Didocosahexaenoyl species were major components of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) from retina, comprising 14.1, 41.3 and 28.3% of the r...

BACKGROUND Clara cells are the epithelial progenitor cell of the small airways, a location known to be important in many lung disorders. Although migration of alveolar type II and bronchiolar ciliated epithelial cells has been examined, the migratory response of Clara cells has received little attention. METHODS Using a modification of existing procedures for Clara cell isolation, we examined...

The safety and shelf-life of food products can be, respectively, ensured and extended with important food-processing technologies such as irradiation. The joint effect of cooking and 10 kGy gamma irradiation on the fatty acid composition of the oil of Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth was evaluated. Oils from the raw seed, cooked seeds, irradiated seeds (10 kGy), cooked, and irradiated seeds (10 k...

The ahp genes encoding the two proteins (F52a and C22) that make up an alkyl hydroperoxide reductase were mapped and cloned from Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli. Two classes of oxidant-resistant ahp mutants which overexpress the two proteins were isolated. ahp-1 was isolated in a wild-type background and is dependent on oxyR, a positive regulator of defenses against oxidative stress...

The present report complements recent publications on the occurrence of a metabolic syndrome in rats deprived of a dietary supply of long-chain polyunsaturated 3 fatty acids and on the attempt to correct the resulting metabolic and hormonal defects by exposure of the 3-depleted rats to a diet enriched with flaxseed oil rich in -linolenic acid (C18:3 3). Emphasis is placed (i) on the much slower...

ELOVL2 is a member of the mammalian microsomal ELOVL fatty acid enzyme family, involved in the elongation of very long-chain fatty acids including PUFAs required for various cellular functions in mammals. Here, we used ELOVL2-ablated (Elovl2(-/-)) mice to show that the PUFAs with 24-30 carbon atoms of the ω-6 family in testis are indispensable for normal sperm formation and fertility in male mi...

The complex cellular events that occur in response to fertilization are essential for mediating the oocyte-to-embryo transition. Here, we describe a comprehensive small-molecule screen focused on identifying compounds that affect early embryonic events in Caenorhabditis elegans We identify a single novel compound that disrupts early embryogenesis with remarkable stage and species specificity. T...