Fatty acid desaturase 7 (FAD7)

Fatty acid desaturase 7 (FAD7) is a membrane-bound enzyme primarily recognized as a chloroplast omega-3 desaturase in plants and microalgae, where it converts linoleic acid (18:2) and hexadecadienoic acid (16:2) into alpha-linolenic acid (18:3) and hexadecatrienoic acid (16:3), respectively [3, 7, 12]. These trienoic fatty acids are critical for maintaining the fluidity and structural integrity of plastid membranes, which is essential for efficient photosynthesis and adaptation to temperature stress [7, 18]. Furthermore, FAD7-derived fatty acids serve as precursors for the biosynthesis of jasmonic acid, a key phytohormone that regulates plant growth and defense responses against pests and pathogens [3, 15]. In the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, the orthologous enzyme FAT-7 (a Delta-9 desaturase) plays a vital role in fat storage and energy homeostasis, making it a significant research target for metabolic diseases and obesity [1, 5, 19]. While FAD7 is not a direct human therapeutic target, it is a major focus of agricultural biotechnology for engineering crop resilience and is used in metabolic research to identify compounds that modulate lipid accumulation, such as resveratrol analogs [2, 3].

Other names

Omega-3 fatty acid desaturasePlastidial omega-3 fatty acid desaturaseChloroplast omega-3 fatty acid desaturaseFADDsn-2 acyl-lipid omega-3 desaturase (ferredoxin)FAT-7

In plants, it catalyzes the desaturation of dienoic fatty acids to trienoic fatty acids in the chloroplast membrane; in C. elegans models, it catalyzes the Delta-9 desaturation of stearic acid to oleic acid.