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Journal of Bacteriology, May 2003, p. 3228-3231, Vol. 185, No. 10
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.10.3228-3231.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Bacillus subtilis Acyl Lipid Desaturase Is a 5 Desaturase

Silvia G. Altabe,¹ Pablo Aguilar,^1, Gerardo M. Caballero,² and Diego de Mendoza^1*

Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), and Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2002LRK-Rosario,¹ Laboratorio de Control de Doping, Secretaría de Turismo y Deporte, Presidencia de la Nación, 1429 Buenos Aires, Argentina²

Received 26 December 2002/ Accepted 3 March 2003

Bacillus subtilis was recently reported to synthesize unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) with a double bond at positions 5, 7, and 9 (M. H. Weber, W. Klein, L. Muller, U. M. Niess, and M. A. Marahiel, Mol. Microbiol. 39:1321-1329, 2001). Since this finding would have considerable importance in the double-bond positional specificity displayed by the B. subtilis acyl lipid desaturase, we have attempted to confirm this observation. We report that the double bond of UFAs synthesized by B. subtilis is located exclusively at the 5 position, regardless of the growth temperature and the length chain of the fatty acids.

Present address: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0448.

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