Fatty acids (FA) consisting of up to 16 carbons, are synthesized by the well-studied fatty acid synthase (FAS) complex in the cytosol. However, a significant amount of the fatty acids produced by FAS are further elongated into very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA).
VLCFA have been recognized as structural components in a variety of fat molecules such as sphingolipids, glycerophospholipids, triacylglycerols, sterol- and wax-esters. They are found in virtually all cells and are major constituents of the brain, skin and testis. Depending on their chain length and degree of unsaturation, they contribute to membrane fluidity and other chemical properties of the cell.

Emanuela Talamonti, Anna Pauter, Abbe Asadi, Alexander Fischer, Valerio Chiurchiù, Anders Jacobsson. Impairment of systemic DHA synthesis affects macrophage plasticity and polarization: implications for DHA supplementation during inflammation. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2017 Mar 15. doi: 10.1007/s00018-017-2498-9.
 

Anna Pauter, Sofia Trattner, Amanda Gonzales-Bengtsson, Emanuela Talamonti, Abolfazl Asadi, Olga Dethlefsen and Anders Jacobsson. Both maternal and offspring Elovl2 genotypes determine systemic DHA levels in perinatal mice. J. Lipid Res., 58(1):111-123 (2017)

Amanda Gonzales-Bengtsson, Abolfazl Asadi, Hui Gao, Karin Dahlman-Wright and Anders Jacobsson. Estrogen Enhances the Expression of the Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acid Elongase Elovl2 via ERα in Breast Cancer Cells. PLoS One, 27;11(10) (2016)

Valerio Chiurchiù, Alessandro Leuti, Jesmond Dalli, Anders Jacobsson, Luca Battistini, Mauro Maccarrone, Charles N. Serhan. Proresolving lipid mediators resolvin D1, resolvin D2, and maresin 1 are critical in modulating T cell responses. Science Transl. Med. Aug 24;8(353), (2016)

Anna Pauter, Petter Olsson, Abolfazl Asadi, Bengt Herslöf, Robert Csikasz, Damir Zadravec, Anders Jacobsson. Elovl2-ablation demonstrates that systemic DHA is endogenously produced and is essential for lipid homeostasis in mice. J. Lipid Res., 55(4):718-28 (2014)

Damir Zadravec, Petr Tvrdik, Herevé Guillou, Richard Haslam, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Johnathan A. Napier, Mario R. Capecchi, Anders Jacobsson. ELOVL2 controls the level of n-6 28:5 and 30:5 fatty acids in testis, a prerequisite for male fertility and sperm maturation in mice. J. Lipid Res., 52(2), 245-55 (2011)

Hervé Guillou, Damir Zadravec, Pascal G.P. Martin, Anders Jacobsson. The key roles of elongases and desaturases in mammalian fatty acid metabolism: insights from transgenic mice. Prog. Lipid Res., 49(2), 186-99. (2010)

See all publications - Link to PubMed >>