硬脂酰辅酶A去饱和酶(stearoyl-co A desaturase,SCD),也称为Δ9去饱和酶,是脂肪合成的关键酶。SCD在饱和脂肪酸(saturated fatty acids,SFAs)棕榈酸(palmitic acid,C16:0)和硬脂酸(stearic acid,C18:0)的第九和第十位碳原子间引入一个双键,分别将它们催化为单不饱和脂肪酸(monounsaturated fatty acids,MUFAs)棕榈油酸(palmitoleic acid,C16:1n-7)和油酸(oleic acid,C18:1n-9)。大量的研究表明,饱和脂肪酸与不饱和脂肪酸的正常比例对维持生物膜的流动性、信号传递、能量平衡等非常重要。SCD的表达和活性受到环境、激素、饮食及多种转录因子的影响和调控,与肥胖、糖尿病、心脑血管疾病、癌症及其它代谢性疾病相关。近几年来,秀丽线虫(Caenorhabditis elegans)成为研究脂代谢调控广受欢迎的模式动物。秀丽线虫具有三个编码SCD的基因:fat-5、fat-6和fat-7,与其它物种的scd基因具有高度同源性和保守的生物学功能,影响秀丽线虫的生长、发育、抗逆境和能量平衡等。文章主要综述了近几年来秀丽线虫SCD的相关研究进展,并对SCD未来研究的方向进行展望。
StearoyI-CoA desaturase (SCD), also called delta-9 desaturase, is a key lipogenic enzyme that, introduces a double bond to the position between No. nine and ten carbons of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0), and converting them into monounsaturated fatty acids, palmitoleic acid (C16:1n-7) and oleic acid (C18:1n-9), respectively. Numerous studies have shown that the ratio of SFA to MUFA displays notable effects on the maintenance of membrane fluidity, signal transduction and energy balance. The expression and activity of SCD are regulated by many factors including environments, hormones, diets, various transcription factors, etc. Disregulation of SCD has been implicated into various human diseases including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancers, and others. In the past few years, C. elegans has become a popular model to study the regulation of lipid metabolism. C. elegans genome contains three scd genes named fat-5, fat-6 and fat-7, and with high sequence similarity and conserved functions of mammal SCD, also affecting development, growth, stress resistance, energy balance, and so on. Herein, the authors summarized currant progresses on C. e/egans SCD, and suggested the future perspective.