PRODUCTION OF POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN OLEAGINOUS YEASTS

• US 20110059204A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Xie, Dongming, Jackson, Ethel Noland, Short, David Richard, Xue, Zhixiong, Zhu, Quinn Qun
• Granted Patent: US 8,313,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/33
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6427 Polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA], i.e. having two or more double bonds in their backbone
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6431 Linoleic acids [18:2[n-6]]
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6432 Eicosapentaenoic acids [EPA]
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6434 Docosahexenoic acids [DHA]

Abstract

Methods for the production of omega-3 and/or omega-6 fatty acids in oleaginous yeasts grown on a fermentable carbon source selected from the group consisting of invert sucrose, glucose, fructose and combinations of these, provided that glucose is used in combination with invert sucrose and/or fructose. Specifically, methods are provided for production of linoleic acid, eicosadienoic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, n-6 docosapentaenoic acid, α-linolenic acid, stearidonic acid, eicosatrienoic acid, eicosatetraenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

Claims

1. A method for producing polyunsaturated fatty acids comprising:

a) providing a transgenic oleaginous yeast which produces at least 25% of its dry cell weight as oil;

comprising genes encoding a functional polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthetic pathway;

b) growing the yeast of step (a) in the presence of a fermentable carbon source selected from the group consisting of invert sucrose, glucose, fructose and combinations of these whereby polyunsaturated fatty acids are produced provided that glucose is used in combination with invert sucrose and/or fructose; and

c) optionally, recovering the polyunsaturated fatty acids.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the polyunsaturated fatty acids are selected from the group consisting of omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the genes encoding a functional omega-3/omega-6 fatty acid biosynthetic pathway are selected from the group consisting of:

delta-4 desaturase, delta-5 desaturase, delta-6 desaturase, delta-12 desaturase, delta-15 desaturase, delta-17 desaturase, delta-9 desaturase, delta-8 desaturase, delta-9 elongase, C_14/16 elongase, C_16/18 elongase, C_18/20 elongase and C_20/22 elongase.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the oleaginous yeast is selected from the group consisting of Yarrowia, Candida, Rhodotorula, Rhodosporidium, Cryptococcus, Trichosporon and Lipomyces.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the oleaginous yeast is Yarrowia lipolytica.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the invert sucrose is a mixture comprising 25 to 50% glucose and 25 to 50% fructose.