Synthesis of Long-Chain Fatty Acids from 2-¹⁴C-Acetate and ¹⁴C-Glucose in Trichoderma viride

Abstract

ALTHOUGH the synthesis of saturated fatty acids by the formal condensation of acetate units is well established, less attention has been paid to the formation of the common unsaturated acids (oleic, linoleic and linolenic) and their relationship to the saturated acids. The similarity in structure of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids suggests a linked synthesis, and two processes have been considered: first a desaturation process leading from oleic via linoleic to linolenic acid, and secondly a hydrogenation process operating in the opposite direction. Trichoderma viride, a fungus which readily synthesizes palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids, was chosen for studies with substrates labelled with carbon-14 in an attempt to obtain further information on the synthesis of unsaturated acids.