Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) is a critical determinant of cubic membrane formation in amoeba Chaos mitochondria.

Very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs), such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), have recently made it to the realm of "magical molecules" based on their multiple presumably beneficial effects in biological systems, making these PUFAs particularly interesting in biomedicine. Their specific biological functions, however, remain enigmatic. Here we provide evidence derived from studies in the amoeba Chaos that indicates a structural role for omega-6 DPA in cell membrane organization, which may help to explain the multiple diverse effects of VLC-PUFA in healthy and diseased states. Amoeba Chaos mitochondria undergo a remarkable and reversible morphological transition into cubic morphology on starvation. This morphological transition is reflected in major changes in fatty acid and lipid composition, as determined by gas liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, in particular by a drastic increase in C22:5 modified phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen, phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen, and phosphatidylinositol species. Liposomes produced in vitro from lipids of starved amoeba cells show a high propensity to form hexagonal tubular and cubic morphologies. Addition of omega-6 DPA, but not of omega-3 DPA, to the cell culture also induced mitochondrial membrane transformation into cubic morphology in fed cells, demonstrating for the first time an important structural role of omega-6 DPA-containing lipids in cell membrane organization.