The Family of Peanut Fatty Acid Desaturase Genes and a Functional Analysis of Four ω-3 AhFAD3 Members

The synthesis of α-linolenic acid (ALA) requires the activity of ω-3 fatty acid desaturases (ω-3 FADs). The quality of peanut oil would be much improved if the content of ALA could be increased. A scan of the peanut genome revealed that it harbored 36 FAD genes, mapping to 16 of the species’ 20 chromosomes. A phylogenetic analysis concluded that these genes belonged to six sub-families, namely stearoyl-acyl-acyl carrier protein desaturases (SAD), FAD2, FAD3, FAD4/5, FAD6 and FAD7/8. Of these, FAD3 and FAD7/8 encoded ω-3 FADs, while genes belonging to the other four sub-families encoded ω-6 FADs. Based on RNA-Seq data, each of the 36 FAD genes was shown to be transcribed in non-stressed plants, but there was variation between them with respect to which organs they were transcribed in. Four ω-3 AhFAD3 genes were functionally characterized; when expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts, each was localized mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum, while within peanut, the genes were more strongly transcribed in the developing seed than in either the root or the leaf. When constitutively expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, both the total fatty acid content of the seed and the relative contribution of ALA were increased. The transgenic seedlings also exhibited an improved level of survival when challenged by salinity stress.