The Desaturase OPIN17 from Phytophthora infestans Converts Arachidonic Acid to Eicosapentaenoic Acid in CHO Cells

We demonstrate the ability to increase the amount of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) in mammalian cells using OPIN17 desaturase gene. This gene was codon optimized based on genomic sequence of Δ17 from Phytophthora infestans and introduced into Chinese hamster ovary cells using liposome-mediated transfection protocol. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was utilized to evaluate co-expression of AcGFP1 and OPIN17. Our results indicate that the OPIN17 gene can be expressed in mammalian cells. Heterologous expression of this gene was evaluated by assessing the fatty acid content of OPIN17-transfected cells. A total cellular lipid analysis of transfected cells which were fed with arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) as a substrate resulted in an 86.5–246 % ( p