REGULATION OF 15-LIPOXYGENASE AND CHARACTERISATION OF THE LIPOXIN/RESOLVIN RECEPTOR

Abstract

Arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are important polyunsaturated fatty acids in the central nervous system (CNS). 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-LOX-1) is an enzyme that can metabolise arachidonic acid and DHA to produce various neuroprotective lipid mediators such as lipoxin A4 (LXA4), resolvin D1 (RvD1) and neuroprotectin D1. Given the importance of 15-LOX-1, however, little is known about its distribution and epigenetic regulation in the CNS. The LXA4/RvD1 receptor, formyl-peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) is also characterised in the CNS. Together, these findings may provide further understanding of 15-LOX-1, its activity on DHA whose products are agonists at FPR2, and their effects in the CNS. Furthermore, elucidation of the epigenetic regulation of 15-LOX-1 presents a deeper insight into transcriptional mechanisms of 15-LOX-1 in neurons and its effects in the developing brain.