Fat-1 transgenic mice: a new model for omega-3 research.

An appropriate animal model that can eliminate confounding factors of diet would be very helpful for evaluation of the health effects of nutrients such as n-3 fatty acids. We recently generated a fat-1 transgenic mouse expressing the Caenorhabditis elegans fat-1 gene encoding an n-3 fatty acid desaturase that converts n-6 to n-3 fatty acids (which is absent in mammals). The fat-1 transgenic mice are capable of producing n-3 fatty acids from the n-6 type, leading to abundant n-3 fatty acids with reduced levels of n-6 fatty acids in their organs and tissues, without the need of a dietary n-3 supply. Feeding an identical diet (high in n-6) to the transgenic and wild-type littermates can produce different fatty acid profiles in these animals. Thus, this model allows well-controlled studies to be performed, without the interference of the potential confounding factors of diet. The transgenic mice are now being used widely and are emerging as a new tool for studying the benefits of n-3 fatty acids and the molecular mechanisms of their action.