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Seed oil fatty acids of loasaceae—A new source of γ‐linolenic and stearidonic acids
Author(s) -
Aitzetmüller K.,
Brühl L.,
Weigend M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/s11746-004-0892-9
Subject(s) - genus , phylogenetic tree , biology , botany , sensu stricto , zoology , biochemistry , gene
Abstract The pharmaceutically interesting Δ6‐FA 18∶3Δ6 c , 9 c , 12 c (γ‐linolenic acid) and 18∶4Δ6 c ,9 c ,12 c ,15 c (stearidonic acid) appear to have evolved independently several times during plant phylogenetic evolution. They typically occur in “clusters” of a few closely related species or genera in about a dozen different plant families throughout the plant kingdom. A hither‐unknown “cluster of occurrence” has now been discovered in the New World plant family Loasaceae. γ‐Linolenic and stearidonic acids occur exclusively in representatives of the newly described genus Nasa at significance levels of between 3 and 10% each. Nasa had recently been separated from the older, more broadly circumscribed genus Loasa . The two Δ6‐FA were not found in the closely related genus Loasa sensu stricto, nor in a number of other representatives of Loasaceae.