Consensus mutagenesis and ancestral reconstruction provide insight into the substrate specificity and evolution of the front-end Δ6-desaturase family

Marine algae are a major source of omega (ω)-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-LCPUFAs), which are conditionally essential nutrients in humans and a target for industrial production. The biosynthesis of these molecules in marine algae begins with the desaturation of fatty acids by Δ6-desaturases and enzymes from different species display a range of specificities towards ω3 and ω6 LCPUFAs. In the absence of a molecular structure, the structural basis for the variable substrate specificity of Δ6-desaturases is poorly understood. Here we have conducted a consensus mutagenesis and ancestral protein reconstruction-based analysis of the Δ6-desaturase family, focusing on the ω3-specific Δ6-desaturase from Micromonas pusilla (MpΔ6des) and the bispecific (ω3/ω6) Δ6-desaturase from Ostreococcus tauri (OtΔ6des). Our characterization of consensus amino acid substitutions in MpΔ6des revealed that residues in diverse regions of the protein, such as the N-terminal cytochrome b5 domain, can make important contributions to determining substrate specificity. Ancestral protein reconstruction also suggests that some extant Δ6-desaturases, such as OtΔ6des, could have adapted to different environmental conditions by losing specificity for ω3-LCPUFAs. This dataset provides a map of regions within Δ6-desaturases that contribute to substrate specificity and could facilitate future attempts to engineer these proteins for use in biotechnology.