Delta-6 Desaturase Knockout Mouse Illustrates Previously Undocumented Pathology
April 2007
in “
The FASEB Journal
”
TLDR Lack of certain fatty acids causes skin, immune, and fertility issues in mice.
The study on Delta‐6 desaturase (D6D) knockout mice revealed previously undocumented pathologies associated with the deficiency of arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Despite being fed a diet containing linoleic (LA) and linolenic (LNA) acids, the −/− mice developed hair loss and ulcerative dermatitis, indicating the critical roles of AA and DHA in skin integrity. Additionally, these mice exhibited decreased thymic weight due to a lack of cortical T-cells, enlarged spleens with increased hematopoiesis and myelopoiesis, reduced lymphoid tissue, and ovaries lacking corpora lutea, which could explain their reduced fertility. These findings highlighted the essential functions of AA and DHA in immune cell development and reproductive health.