Mortierella alpina

Shimizu S, S Jareonkitmongol, H Kawashima, K Akimoto, H Yamada (1991) Production of a novel wl-eicosa-pentaenoic acid by Mortierella alpina lS-4 grown on 1-hexadecene. Arch Microbiol 156 163-166. 

Fatty Acid Transformation by Enzyme Systems of Mortierella alpina 1S-4.82... 

In the route to BO-2727 (18), a broad-spectrum P-methyl carbapenem being developed by Merck, a bioreduction catalyzed by the fungus Mortierella alpina MF 5534 is used to form a precursor (7 )-P-hydroxy ester 19 (Scheme 19.12).102 This fungal culture was a result of screening approximately 260 strains of microorganisms and resulted in the production of gram quantities of product with a de of >98%. 

Stredanska, S., Slugen, D., Stredansky, M., and Grego, J. 1993. Arachidonic acid production by Mortierella alpina grown on solid substrates. World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 9, 511-513. 

After the success (at least temporarily) of Oil of Javanicus, the next fatty acid to be developed on a commercial basis was ARA. The early development occurred in the Far East, with two Japanese companies. Lion Corp. and Suntory. Both companies developed processes for producing arachidonic acid using fungal sources. It is interesting to note that the interest of Lion Corp. in an arachidonic acid-rich oil was not for nutritional applications but as the basis of cosmetic creams, another area that can withstand commodities with a premium price. This development resulted in patents being awarded to these two companies in the late 1980s covering the production of arachidonic acid from Mortierella alpina (35, 36). 

Cunninghamella blakesleeana has been found to be an efficient biocatalyst for stereospecific biohydroxylations of e.g. cycloalkyl carboxylic acids [77] and (also with Mortierella alpina) the respective cycloalkyl benzoxazoles [78]. The role of cytochrome P450 in these reactions is currently being investigated. 

The lignan (+)-sesamin and related lignans present in sesame seeds or its oil are specific inhibitors of A5-desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in both microorganisms and animals [273,274], The results obtained in experiments with both a cell-free extract of the fungus Mortierella alpina and rat liver microsomes demonstrated that (+)-sesamin... 

Dihomo-y-linolenic acid Multistep conversion (Mortierella alpina) 4.1 ... 

Figure 4. Microbial production of PUFAs with mutant strains of Mortierella alpina, starting from 18 lo)9, 18 2to6 and 18 3o)3 (to9, 0)6 and m3 routes, respectively).

Huang YS, Chaudhary S, Thurmond JM, Bobik EG Jr, Yuan L, Chan GM, Kirchner SJ, Mukerji P, Knutzon DS. (1999) Cloning of deltal2- and delta6-desaturases from Mortierella alpina and recombinant production of gamma-linolenic acid in Saccharomyces cerevi-siae. Lipids 34 649-659. 

Mortierella alpina oleaginous yeast Yarrowia Upolytica. 

FIGURE 12.1 Plasmids used to transform Yarrowia lipolytica Polg strain for expression of, respectively, Mortierella alpina A6-desatnrase gene (A), A12-desatnrase gene (B), or both A12- and A6-desaturase genes (C). 

Huang, Y.-S., Chaudhary, S., Thurmond, I.M., Bobik, E.G., et al.. Cloning of A12- and A6-desaturase from Mortierella alpina and recombinant production of Y-linolenic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lipids 1999, 34, 649-659. 

One of the key achievements in expanding the pool of the available long-chain PEFA (DHA and ERA) is the isolation of the gene encoding synthesis of A -desaturase from the yeast Mortierella alpina (Michaelson et al., 1998). Obtaining REFA from microbial biomass is justified for economic reasons. Moreover, microbiological oil is cholesterol-free and not contaminated with heavy metals or pesticides. 

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