Plant Fatty Acid Desaturases: Role in the Life of Plants and Biotechnological Potential

Abstract

Fatty acid desaturases perform a key role in the maintenance of cell membrane homeostasis. They convert fatty acids of membrane lipids from saturated to unsaturated. The modulation of fatty acid unsaturation in cell membranes is one of the mechanisms of plant adaptation to traumatic environmental factors, both biotic and abiotic. The study of the mechanisms of the functioning of desaturases, as well as their localization and characteristics of their gene expression, carry out a fundamental role in our understanding of the processes of plant adaptation. In addition to their fundamental importance, such studies have an applied character. They will expand the potential of desaturases and put in place the foundations of a modern generation of transgenic plants, including those derived from genome-editing technologies. As a result, these studies deliver a broad benefit to humanity in the creation of stress-resistant crops or the biofortification of agricultural crops.