Production of very long chain polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in plants |
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Authors: | Qi Baoxiu Fraser Tom Mugford Sam Dobson Gary Sayanova Olga Butler Justine Napier Johnathan A Stobart A Keith Lazarus Colin M |
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Institution: | School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1UG, England, UK. bssbq@bath.ac.uk |
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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 omega3/6 Delta8 -desaturation biosynthetic pathways for the formation of C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed sequentially with genes encoding a Delta9 -specific elongating activity from Isochrysis galbana, a Delta8 -desaturase from Euglena gracilis and a Delta5 -desaturase from Mortierella alpina. Instrumental in the successful reconstitution of these C20 polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthetic pathways was the I. galbana C18-Delta9 -elongating activity, which may bypass rate-limiting steps present in the conventional Delta6 -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. |
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