Basf Plant Science Gmbh

Basf Plant Science Company Gmbh

Bioriginal Food & Science Corporation

Patricia Vrinten

Xiao Qiu

Jörg Bauer

Petra Cirpus

Ernst Heinz

Toralf Senger

Thorsten Zank

Frederic Domergue

Amine Abbadi

Petra Sperling

Joerg Bauer

Carl Andre

Astrid Schmidt

Helene Kirsch

Ze Long Lim

Sten Stymne

Laurent Marty

Irene Kunze

Dietrich Rein

Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz

Astrid Meyer

Jelena Kirsch

John A McElver

Steven Craig Bremmer

Heiko Haertel

Steven D Breazeale

Hui Yang

Jorg Bauer

The present invention is concerned with materials and methods for the production of genetically modified plants, particularly where the plants are for the production of at least one unsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acid. The invention is also concerned with identification of genes conveying an unsaturated fatty acid metabolic property to a plant or plant cell, and generally relates to the field of phosphotidylcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase (PDCT).

Method for the production of high levels of PUFA in plants

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in an organism by introducing, into the organism, nucleic acids which encode polypeptides with Δ5-elongase activity. Advantageously, these nucleic acids can be expressed in the organism together with further nucleic acids which encode polypeptides of the biosynthesis of the fatty acid or lipid metabolism. Especially advantageous are nucleic acids which encode Δ6-desaturases, Δ5-desaturases, Δ4-desaturases and/or Δ6-elongases. These desaturases and elongases are advantageously derived fromor. The invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of oils and/or triacylglycerides with an elevated content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and oils and/or triacylglycerides thus obtained. The invention also relates to the nucleic acids, and constructs, vectors and transgenic organisms comprising the same, as well as oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced by the process according to the invention and to their use.

Process for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in transgenic organisms

T-DNA for expression of a target gene in a plant, wherein the T-DNA comprises a left and a right border element and at least one expression cassette comprising a promoter, operatively linked thereto a target gene, and downstream thereof a terminator, wherein the length of the T-DNA, measured from left to right border element and comprising the target gene, has a length of at least 30000 bp.

Materials and methods for PUFA production, and PUFA-containing compositions

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in an organism by introducing, into the organism, nucleic acids which encode polypeptides with &#x394;5-elongase activity. Advantageously, these nucleic acids can be expressed in the organism together with further nucleic acids which encode polypeptides of the biosynthesis of the fatty acid or lipid metabolism. Especially advantageous are nucleic acids which encode &#x394;6-desaturases, &#x394;5-desaturases, &#x394;4-desaturases and/or &#x394;6-elongases. These desaturases and elongases are advantageously derived fromor. The invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of oils and/or triacylglycerides with an elevated content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and oils and/or triacylglycerides thus obtained. The invention also relates to the nucleic acids, and constructs, vectors and transgenic organisms comprising the same, as well as oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced by the process according to the invention and to their use.

Method for the production of multiple-unsaturated fatty acids in transgenic organisms

The present invention relates to methods for the conversion of the substrate specificity of desaturases. Specifically, the present invention pertains to a method for the conversion of the substrate specificity of a &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase to the substrate specificity of a &#x394;4 desaturase, the method comprising: identifying regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of (i) the &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase and (ii) the &#x394;4 desaturase; and replacing in the amino acid sequence of the mentioned &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase, the regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase, by the corresponding regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the &#x394;4 desaturase, thereby converting the substrate specificity of the &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase to the substrate specificity of the &#x394;4 desaturase. The present invention further concerns a method for the conversion of the substrate specificity of a &#x394;4 desaturase to the substrate specificity of a &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase, the method comprising: identifying regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of (i) the &#x394;4 desaturase and (ii) the &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase; and replacing in the amino acid sequence of the indicated &#x394;4 desaturase, the regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the &#x394;4 desaturase, by the corresponding regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase, thereby converting the substrate specificity of the &#x394;4 desaturase to the substrate specificity of the &#x394;5 and/or &#x394;6 desaturase. In addition, the invention encompasses desaturases with converted substrate specificity.

Methods for conversion of the substrate specificity of desaturases

The invention relates to a method for the production of multiply-unsaturated fatty acids in an organism, into which nucleic acids have been introduced, which code for polypeptides with &#x394;-5 elongase activity. Said nucleic acid sequences, optionally with further nucleic acid sequences, coding for polypeptides for the biosynthesis of fatty acids and lipid metabolism, are advantageously expressed in the organism. Nucleic acid sequences coding for a &#x394;-6 desaturase, a &#x394;-5 desaturase, &#x394;-4 desaturase and/or &#x394;-6 elongase activity are particularly advantageous and, advantageously, said saturases and elongases are derived fromor. The invention further relates to a method for the production of oils and/or triacylglycerides with an increased content of long-chain, multiply-unsaturated fatty acids. A particular embodiment of the invention is a method for the production of unsaturated &#x3c9;-3 fatty acids and a method for the production of triglycerides with an increased content of unsaturated fatty acids, in particular, of &#x394;-3 fatty acids with more than three double bonds. Also disclosed is the production of a transgenic organism, preferably a transgenic plant, or a transgenic microorganism with increased content of &#x3c9;-3 fatty acids, oils or lipids with &#x3c9;-3 double bonds as a result of the expression of the elongases and desaturases employed in the above method, preferably in combination with &#x3c9;-3 desaturases, for example a &#x3c9;-3 desaturase from fungi of the family Pythiaceae such as the genus, for example, the genus and species, or a &#x3c9;-3 desaturase from algae such as the family Prasinophyceae, for example, the genusand, particularly, the genus and speciesor diatomace&#xe6; such as the genusand, particularly, the genus and species. The invention also relates to the nucleic acid sequences, nucleic acid constructs, vectors and organisms containing the nucleic acid sequences and/or the nucleic acid constructs and transgenic organisms containing said nucleic acid sequences, nucleic acid constructs and/or vectors. A further part of the invention relates to oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced according to the above method and use thereof and, furthermore, unsaturated fatty acids and triglycerides with an increased content of unsaturated fatty acids and use thereof.

The present invention relates to nucleic acids derived from. The invention also relates to the individual coding sequences and to proteins encoded by these sequences as well to a process for converting oleic acid to linoleic acid to linoleic acid and the production of arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and/or docosahexaenoic acid in a plant.

Fatty acid desaturase and uses thereof

The present invention relates to nucleic acids derived from. The invention also relates to the individual coding sequences and to proteins encoded by these sequences in combination with other sequences as well as to a process for converting oleic acid to linoleic acid to linoleic acid and the production of arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and/or docosahexaenoic acid in a plant.

Fatty acid elongase and uses thereof

The invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules which encode novel fatty acid dehydratase family members. The invention also provides recombinant expression vectors containing dehydratase nucleic acid molecules, host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced, and methods for large-scale production of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), e.g., SDA, EPA and DHA.

Fatty acid dehydratases and uses thereof

The present invention relates to polynucleotides fromandwhich code for elongases and which can be employed for the recombinant production of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The invention furthermore relates to vectors, host cells and transgenic nonhuman organisms which comprise the polynucleotides according to the invention, and to the polypeptides encoded by the polynucleotides. The invention furthermore relates to antibodies against the polypeptides according to the invention. Finally, the invention also relates to production processes for the polyunsaturated fatty acids and for oil, lipid and fatty acid compositions and to their use as drugs, cosmetics, foodstuffs, feedstuffs, preferably fish food, or food supplements.

Elongases and methods for producing polyunsaturated fatty acids in transgenic organisms

The present invention relates to the isolation of a second omega-3 fatty acid desaturase (FAD3) gene in flax () and its promoter region, as well as the identification of FAD3 mutant alleles, and the development of markers for wild type and mutated alleles. The FAD3 genes encode the enzymes which control omega-3 fatty acid desaturation and, thus, the levels of linolenic acid (18:3(n-3)). Accordingly, the molecules of the present invention can be utilized, for example, to develop markers for the mutations in flax FAD3 genes and for seed-specific modification of fatty acid and protein compositions in plant seeds.

Omega-3 fatty acid desaturase family members and uses thereof

The present invention relates to a method for increasing the content of polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids in an organism by introducing nucleic acids coding for polypeptides or proteins exhibiting a phospholipase, ketoacyl-CoA reductase and/or dehydratase activity. The present invention also provides nucleic acid sequences coding for polypeptides with enzyme activities of a phospholipase, ketoacyl-CoA reductase and/or dehydratase, and nucleic acid constructs, vectors and organisms containing the nucleic acid sequences according to the present invention. A further part of the present invention relates to oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced according to the method of the present invention and the use thereof. Furthermore, the present invention relates to unsaturated fatty acids and triglycerides having an increased content of unsaturated fatty acids and the use thereof.

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Saskatoon, Canada

Patricia Vrinten