Fatty acid desaturase 2B, pseudogene (FADS2B)

FADS2B, also known as "Fatty acid desaturase 2B, pseudogene", is predicted to be involved in lipid metabolic processes but is classified as a pseudogene in the human genome and thus is not known to encode a functional protein product in humans. In model organisms such as mouse (*Mus musculus*, gene Fads2b), a fatty acid desaturase 2-like protein has been annotated, but its biological role remains unclear and distinct from active FADS2 enzymes. The canonical active human enzyme is FADS2 ("Fatty acid desaturase 2"), which has clear roles in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and disease, but FADS2B does not share these properties or evidence of protein-coding function. There are reports of FADS2B protein in some fish species (e.g., carp), but these are not relevant for the human target description. In human databases, FADS2B is annotated as a pseudogene and predicted only to be involved in lipid metabolic processes, with no described protein product, molecular function, or disease association. No interacting drugs or mechanisms of action are associated with FADS2B. The active human enzyme FADS2 (not FADS2B) is an important desaturase, catalyzing core steps in essential fatty acid metabolism, with roles in disease and as a possible therapeutic target, but this activity does not extend to FADS2B. In non-human species such as mouse or certain fish, "Fads2b" may refer to an expressed gene due to species-specific gene duplications; this is not applicable to the standard human gene target nomenclature. Fatty acid desaturase 2B (FADS2B) is a pseudogene in humans and is not used as a drug discovery target. All relevant activities and therapeutic targeting relate instead to the canonical Fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2). Therefore, its inclusion may be an error or may reflect confusion with FADS2 (the true enzyme in humans).

Other names

Putative fatty acid desaturase 2-like protein FADS2BFADS2P1Fatty acid desaturase 2 pseudogene 1FADS2B