The membrane fatty acid desaturase (Membrane_FADS)-like CD includes membrane FADSs, alkane hydroxylases, beta carotene ketolases (CrtW-like), hydroxylases (CrtR-like), and other related proteins. They are present in all groups of organisms with the exception of archaea. Membrane FADSs are non-heme, iron-containing, oxygen-dependent enzymes involved in regioselective introduction of double bonds in fatty acyl aliphatic chains. They play an important role in the maintenance of the proper structure and functioning of biological membranes. Alkane hydroxylases are bacterial, integral-membrane di-iron enzymes that share a requirement for iron and oxygen for activity similar to that of membrane FADSs, and are involved in the initial oxidation of inactivated alkanes. Beta-carotene ketolase and beta-carotene hydroxylase are carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes for astaxanthin and zeaxanthin, respectively. This superfamily domain has extensive hydrophobic regions that would be capable of spanning the membrane bilayer at least twice. Comparison of these sequences also reveals three regions of conserved histidine cluster motifs that contain eight histidine residues: HXXX(X)H, HXX(X)HH, and HXXHH (an additional conserved histidine residue is seen between clusters 2 and 3). Spectroscopic and genetic evidence point to a nitrogen-rich coordination environment located in the cytoplasm with as many as eight histidines coordinating the two iron ions and a carboxylate residue bridging the two metals in the Pseudomonas oleovorans alkane hydroxylase (AlkB). In addition, the eight histidine residues are reported to be catalytically essential and proposed to be the ligands for the iron atoms contained within the rat stearoyl CoA delta-9 desaturase.

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gi 1831514577   1 MHNITNGHVAHHFFFTkIPHYHLLEATPAIKKAL 34
Cdd:PLN02505  308 FHNITDTHVAHHLFST-MPHYHAMEATKAIKPIL 340

omega-6 fatty acid desaturase

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gi 1831514577   1 MHNITNGHVAHHFFFTkIPHYHLLEATPAIKKAL 34
Cdd:PLN02505  308 FHNITDTHVAHHLFST-MPHYHAMEATKAIKPIL 340

omega-6 fatty acid desaturase

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gi 1831514577   1 MHNITNGHVAHHFFFTkIPHYHLLEATPAIKKAL 34
Cdd:PLN02505  308 FHNITDTHVAHHLFST-MPHYHAMEATKAIKPIL 340

The Delta12 Fatty Acid Desaturase (Delta12-FADS)-like CD includes the integral-membrane enzymes, delta-12 acyl-lipid desaturases, oleate 12-hydroxylases, omega3 and omega6 fatty acid desaturases, and other related proteins, found in a wide range of organisms including higher plants, green algae, diatoms, nematodes, fungi, and bacteria. The expression of these proteins appears to be temperature dependent: decreases in temperature result in increased levels of fatty acid desaturation within membrane lipids subsequently altering cell membrane fluidity. An important enzyme for the production of polyunsaturates in plants is the oleate delta-12 desaturase (Arabidopsis FAD2) of the endoplasmic reticulum. This enzyme accepts l-acyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine as substrate and requires NADH:cytochrome b oxidoreductase, cytochrome b, and oxygen for activity. FAD2 converts oleate(18:1) to linoleate (18:2) and is closely related to oleate 12-hydroxylase which catalyzes the hydroxylation of oleate to ricinoleate. Plastid-bound desaturases (Arabidopsis delta-12 desaturase (FAD6), omega-3 desaturase (FAD8), omega-6 desaturase (FAD6)), as well as, the cyanobacterial thylakoid-bound FADSs require oxygen, ferredoxin, and ferredoxin oxidoreductase for activity. As in higher plants, the cyanobacteria delta-12 (DesA) and omega-3 (DesB) FADSs desaturate oleate (18:1) to linoleate (18:2) and linoleate (18:2) to linolenate (18:3), respectively. Omega-3 (DesB/FAD8) and omega-6 (DesD/FAD6) desaturases catalyze reactions that introduce a double bond between carbons three and four, and carbons six and seven, respectively, from the methyl end of fatty acids. As with other members of this superfamily, this domain family has extensive hydrophobic regions that would be capable of spanning the membrane bilayer at least twice. Comparison of sequences also reveals the existence of three regions of conserved histidine cluster motifs that contain eight histidine residues: HXXXH, HXX(X)HH, and HXXHH. These histidine residues are reported to be catalytically essential and proposed to be the ligands for the iron atoms contained within the homologue, stearoyl CoA desaturase. Mutation of any one of four of these histidines in the Synechocystis delta-12 acyl-lipid desaturase resulted in complete inactivity.

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gi 1831514577   1 MHNITNGHVAHHFFfTKIPHYHL 23
Cdd:cd03507   201 LTHIIGTHVAHHLF-PRIPHYNL 222