Schizochytrium sp. A-2 is a heterotrophic marine fungus used for the commercial production of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, the pattern of the distribution of DHA and how DHA is channeled into phospholipid (PL) and triacylglycerol (TAG) are unknown. In this study, we systematically analyzed the distribution of DHA in TAG and PL during the growth of the cell. The migration of DHA from PL to TAG was presumed during the fermentation cycle. DHA and docosapentaenoic acid were accumulated in both TAG and phosphatidylcholine (PC), whereas eicosapentaenoic acid was mainly deposited in PC. RNA seq revealed that malic enzyme may provide lipogenic NADPH. In addition, long-chain acyl-CoA synthase and acyl-CoA:lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase may participate in the accumulation of DHA in PL. No phosphatidylcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase was identified from the genome sequence. In contrast, phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase-mediated acyl-CoA-independent TAG synthesis pathway and phospholipase C may contribute to the channeling of DHA from PC to TAG.
Keywords: docosahexaenoic acid; migration; phospholipid; triacylglycerol.