Isolation and Functional Characterisation of the Genes Encoding Δ~8-Sphingolipid Desaturase from Brassica rapa

8-Sphingolipid desaturase is the key enzyme that catalyses desaturation at the C8 position of the long-chain base of sphingolipids in higher plants. There have been no previous studies on the genes encoding AS-sphingolipid desaturases in Brassica rapa. In this study, four genes encoding AS-sphingolipid desaturases from B. rapa were isolated and characterised. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that these genes could be divided into two groups： BrD8A, BrD8C and BrD8D in group I, and BrD8B in group II. The two groups of genes diverged before the separation of Arabidopsis and Brassica. Though the four genes shared a high sequence similarity, and their coding desaturases all located in endoplasmic reticulum, they exhibited distinct expression patterns. Heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed that BrD8A/B/C/D were functionally diverse AS-sphingolipid desaturases that catalyse different ratios of the two products 8（Z）- and 8（E）-C18-phytosphingenine. The aluminium tolerance of transgenic yeasts expressing BrD8A/B/C/D was enhanced compared with that of control cells. Expression of BrD8A in Arabidopsis changed the ratio of 8（Z）：8（E）-C 18-phytosphingenine in transgenic plants. The information reported here provides new insights into the biochemical functional diversity and evolutionary relationship of AS-sphingolipid desaturase in plants and lays a foundation for further investigation of the mechanism of 8（Z）- and 8（E）-C18- phytosphingenine biosynthesis.

油桐delta 8脱饱和酶基因的全长cDNA克隆及序列分析

桐油是制备生物柴油的优势原料。delta 8脱饱和酶基因与植物膜脂、鞘磷脂的生物合成及细胞信号传递途径有关。通过简并PCR扩增、3’RACE、5’RACE及编码区扩增获得了油桐delta 8脱饱和酶的全长c DNA序列。该基因全长1 787 bp,ORF的长度为1 344 bp,编码447个氨基酸。经过网上比对分析,发现油桐delta 8脱饱和酶与其它植物的此基因具有较高同源性,其中与蓖麻脂肪酸去饱和酶相似度达83%。研究结果为揭示油桐油脂合成途径及分子定向育种奠定基础。