primary metabolites Flashcards
what is the molecular structure of fatty acids
hydrocarbons with carboxyl COOH with variable amounts of double bonds
what is FAS
fatty acid synthase- an enzyme which makes saturated fatty acids up to 16 carbons in length
what is EL
elongase- adds 2 carbons to existent fatty acid chains
what enzyme has the symbol of a triangle, or delta
desaturases- adds double bonds at specific points in the hydrocarbon chain
what is cis
hydrocarbons with naturally existing double bonds. they have a kink in their structure which creates space in membranes and promotes fluidity
what is trans
hydrocarbons where double bonds are added through hydrogenation. there are no kinks and properties are more similar to saturated hydrocarbons
what are three functions of fatty acids
cell membranes, storage of carbon (as they don’t store water so they take up less space) and production of eicosanoids (short chain hormones)
what fatty acids can humans make naturally
palmitic (16:0), stearic (18:0 EL) and oleic (18:1 delta9), none of which can make eicosanoids
what fatty acids are essential in diet to make eicosanoids
linoleic (n-6) and linolenic (n-3) 18 chain, from which all eicosanoids can be made using EL, delta 5 and delta 6
what foods are fatty acids found in
nuts and seeds provide 18 chain n-6 and n-6, oily fish provide 20 chain fatty acids and can help prevent heart disease
what is the main source of 20:4,n-6
Mortierella alpina- sequencing found the presence of delta 5,6,9 and 12
what is the safest vector for producing fatty acids
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as is known by its common use in beer. however, it does not have any delta 6 or 12
how do M. alpina and S. cerevisiae work together
delta 6 and 12 from M. alpina are introduced to S. cerevisiae on one plasmid, and they now produce both linoleic and linolenic acids
what are the requirements for vectors producing fatty acids
must be cheap, safe and have a high yield but not be readily available elsewhere as this would make the marked more competitivity
what do Martek Biosciences do
they produce M. alpina on mass, one commercial use of which being formula milk
what produces citric acid
Aspergillus niger which operates at a low risk
where is citric acid produced
in the krebs cycle- it is often fuelled by cheaper sucrose which is converted to glucose. attempts to accumulate the acid can actually slow glycolysis or affect the energy supply of the host
where is glutamic acid produced
downstream of citric acid krebs- it had not been improved since the original strain
what is lycine
an essential fatty acid- it has been modified to produce a much higher yield by incorporating 12 genomic traits which remove limiting factors/ bottlenecks
what types of enzyme do microorganisms produce
endoenzymes and exoenzymes
what are the main application of microorganism- made enzymes
agriculture, environment and industry
how are microorganisms produced
continuously, by batch or by fed batch
how does fungi grow best
solid state fermentation eg rice or wheat
what enzymes are used in detergent
proteases, amylases, lipases and cellulases
