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- Title
Production of very long chain polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in plants.
- Authors
Baoxiu Qi; Fraser, Tom; Mugford, Sam; Dobson, Gary; Sayanova, Olga; Butler, Justine; Napier, Johnathan A; Stobart, A Keith; Lazarus, Colin M
- Abstract
We report the production of two very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), in substantial quantities in a higher plant. This was achieved using genes encoding enzymes participating in the ?3/6 ?8-desaturation biosynthetic pathways for the formation of C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed sequentially with genes encoding a ?9-specific elongating activity from Isochrysis galbana, a ?8-desaturase from Euglena gracilis and a ?5-desaturase from Mortierella alpina. Instrumental in the successful reconstitution of these C20 polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthetic pathways was the I. galbana C18-?9-elongating activity, which may bypass rate-limiting steps present in the conventional ?6-desaturase/elongase pathways. The accumulation of EPA and AA in transgenic plants is a breakthrough in the search for alternative sustainable sources of fish oils.
- Subjects
POLYENES; UNSATURATED fatty acids; FATTY acids; ENVIRONMENTAL protection; GENES; TRANSGENIC organisms; OMEGA-3 fatty acids
- Publication
Nature Biotechnology, 2004, Vol 22, Issue 6, p739
- ISSN
1087-0156
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/nbt972