Complete auxotrophy for unsaturated fatty acids requires deletion of two sets of genes in Mycobacterium smegmatis

What is it about?

Mycobacterium tuberculosis makes its major unsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) by the action of an aerobic desaturase (DesA3). We report here that DesA3 and a second pathway lead to synthesis of oleic acid and very long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids in the Non Tuberculous Mycobacteria Mycobacterium smegmatis. Knock-out of both pathways was required to achieve unsaturated fatty acid auxotrophy in this species.

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