Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Nov 16;10(11):1785.
doi: 10.3390/nu10111785.

Genes and Dietary Fatty Acids in Regulation of Fatty Acid Composition of Plasma and Erythrocyte Membranes

Maria Lankinen  1 , Matti Uusitupa  2 , Ursula Schwab  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Genes and Dietary Fatty Acids in Regulation of Fatty Acid Composition of Plasma and Erythrocyte Membranes

Maria Lankinen et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The fatty acid compositions of plasma lipids and cell membranes of certain tissues are modified by dietary fatty acid composition. Furthermore, many other factors (age, sex, ethnicity, health status, genes, and gene × diet interactions) affect the fatty acid composition of cell membranes or plasma lipid compartments. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand the complexity of mechanisms that may modify fatty acid compositions of plasma or tissues. We carried out an extensive literature survey of gene × diet interaction in the regulation of fatty acid compositions. Most of the related studies have been observational studies, but there are also a few intervention trials that tend to confirm that true interactions exist. Most of the studies deal with the desaturase enzyme cluster (FADS1, FADS2) in chromosome 11 and elongase enzymes. We expect that new genetic variants are being found that are linked with the genetic regulation of plasma or tissue fatty acid composition. This information is of great help to understanding the contribution of dietary fatty acids and their endogenic metabolism to the development of some chronic diseases.

Keywords: FADS; diet; fatty acid; genotype; human.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors affecting endogenous fatty acid metabolism. T2D, type 2 diabetes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Impacts of genetic variants regulating fatty acid metabolism in the body.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Simplified figure of the synthesis of fatty acids in the human body including key enzymes regulating fatty acid metabolism and genes coding them. AA, arachidonic acid; ALA, alpha-linolenic acid; DGLA, Di-homo-gamma linolenic acid; DHA docosahexaenoic acid; ELOVL, fatty acid elongase; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; FADS, fatty acid desaturase; LA, linoleic acid; SCD, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Farquhar J.W., Ahrens E.H., Jr. Effects of dietary fats on human erythrocyte fatty acid patterns. J. Clin. Investig. 1963;42:675–685. doi: 10.1172/JCI104759. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hunter D. Biochemical indicators of dietary fat. In: Willett W., editor. Nutritional Epidemiology. Oxford University Press; Oxford, UK: 1990.
    1. Vessby B., Lithell H., Gustafsson I.B., Boberg J. Changes in the fatty acid composition of the plasma lipid esters during lipid-lowering treatment with diet, clofibrate and niceritrol. reduction of the proportion of linoleate by clofibrate but not by niceritrol. Atherosclerosis. 1980;35:51–65. doi: 10.1016/0021-9150(80)90027-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sarkkinen E.S., Agren J.J., Ahola I., Ovaskainen M.L., Uusitupa M.I. Fatty acid composition of serum cholesterol esters, and erythrocyte and platelet membranes as indicators of long-term adherence to fat-modified diets. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1994;59:364–370. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/59.2.364. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carta G., Murru E., Banni S., Manca C. Palmitic acid: Physiological role, metabolism and nutritional implications. Front. Physiol. 2017;8:902. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00902. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms