Molecular cloning and characterization of PUFA synthase gene cluster from fish gut bacterium for omega 3 fatty acid production

Abstract

Health promoting omega-3 very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (and#969;3VLC-PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n3), is associated with the protection against numerous disorders. Being the essential fatty acid, its predominant source- fish, has been burdened with numerous shortcomings which have switched the attention towards microbial production of this nutraceutically important fatty acid. In this study, a bacterium N2AIL isolated from gastrointestinal tract of freshwater fish Tilapia was explored for omega-3 fatty acid production. The bacterium was found to be a PUFA producer based on its ability to grow in the presence of H2O2 and forming red coloured colonies in 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) containing medium. newline