Production of γ linolenic acid by a Δ6-desaturase

• US 6,683,232 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bayer SAS (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Rhone-Poulenc Agrochimie
• Inventors: Thomas, Terry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): McElwain, Elizabeth F.
• Application Number:
  US09/685,775
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 800/281, 800/298, 435/69.1, 435/71.1, 435/468, 435/471, 435/252.3, 435/440, 435/410, 435/325
• US Class Current: 800/281
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/74 Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for prokaryotic hosts other than E. coli, e.g. Lactobacillus, Micromonospora
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8247 involving modified lipid metabolism, e.g. seed oil composition
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0083 Miscellaneous (1.14.99)
• 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 7/6472 containing polyunsaturated fatty acid [PUFA] residues, i.e. having two or more double bonds in their backbone
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 114/19003 Linoleoyl-CoA desaturase (1.14.19.3)

Abstract

Linoleic acid is converted into γ-linolenic acid by the enzyme Δ6-desaturase. The present invention is directed to isolated nucleic acids comprising the Δ6-desaturase gene. More particularly, the isolated nucleic acid comprises the promoter, coding region and termination regions of the Δ6-desaturase gene. The present invention provides recombinant constructions comprising the Δ6-desaturase coding region in functional combination with heterologous regulatory sequences. The nucleic acids and recombinant constructions of the instant invention are useful in the production of GLA in transgenic organisms.

Claims

1. A method of inducing production of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in plants, plant cells or microorganisms which are deficient or lacking in or producing low levels of GLA and linoleic acid (LA), wherein said method comprises transforming said plants, plant cells or microorganisms with an isolated nucleic acid encoding bacterial Δ

6-desaturase and an isolated nucleic acid encoding Δ

12-desaturase.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said plants are crop plants selected from the group consisting of sunflower, soybean, oil seed rape, maize, peanut and tobacco plants.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said delta 6-desaturase is cyanobacteria Synechocystis delta 6-desaturase.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said Synechocystis delta 6-desaturase is encoded by the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:

1.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said delta 12-desaturase is encoded by the nucleotides 2002-3081 of SEQ ID NO:

1.

2. A method of inducing production of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in plants, plant cells or microorganisms which are deficient or lacking in or producing low levels of GLA and linoleic acid (LA), wherein said method comprises transforming said plants, plant cells or microorganisms with at least one expression vector comprising an isolated nucleic acid encoding evening primrose Δ

6-desaturase and an isolated nucleic acid encoding Δ

12-desaturase.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said plants are crop plants selected from the group consisting of sunflower, soybean, oil seed rape, maize, peanut and tobacco plants.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said evening primrose delta 6-desaturase is encoded by a nucleotide sequence, said nucleotide sequence comprising at least one of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:

26 or nucleotides 49 to 1401 of SEQ ID NO;

26.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said nucleotide sequence codes for the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

27.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said delta 12-desaturase is encoded by the nucleotides 2002-3081 of SEQ ID NO:

1.