Platynereis dumerilii

The ragworm Platynereis dumerilii is a functional molecular model system that can be an excellent choice to study LC-PUFA biosynthesis and its regulation because it possesses a complete set of enzymes enabling de novo biosynthesis of PUFA and LC-PUFA. In addition to two functional ωx desaturases, we are investigating the complete repertoire of enzymes involved in the LC-PUFA endogenous biosynthesis pathway. Molecular and functional characterisation of enzymes involved in PUFA biosynthesis allows to establish the substrate specificities of each enzyme, but fails to inform about the physiological roles that desaturases and elongases play in vivo, for example through competition with other co-exiting enzymes, and influence of factors such as diet, temperature and salinity. Alternatively, biological functions of desaturases and elongases involved in the LC-PUFA pathways can be investigated by gene knockout strategies. The generation of mutant knockout strains of P. dumerilii using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology will be a key tool for unveiling in vivo functions of genes involved in LC-PUFA biosynthesis.