Fatty Acid Metabolism in Fungi

Fatty acids, in terms of their chemical structure, are aliphatic monocarboxylic acid that represents the most abundant class of lipids in nature. The major roles of fatty acids in the biological system are they constitute the building blocks of cell membranes, serve as reservoirs of energy, and their derivatives act as signaling molecules with various effects and functions. The type and composition of fatty acids vary from organism to organism. Recent research has revealed that cellular fatty acid profiles can be utilized to distinguish and identify yeast and yeast-like organism genera, species, and strains. Fatty acids commonly range from C:14 to C:20, and are predominant and most common in all organisms. Palmitic acid is the predominant saturated fatty acid of most organisms, and oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids are the major unsaturated acids. Furthermore, several fungi have been suggested as potential sources for biodiesel production. As such, this chapter will focus on fatty acid metabolism in fungi and its characteristics that will broaden the fatty acid metabolism in fungi biology.