Production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in oleaginous yeasts

• US 7,238,482 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dupont US Holding, LLC (International Flavors & Fragrances Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yadav, Narendra S., Zhu, Quinn Qun, Picataggio, Stephen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Guzo; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joike; Michele K.
• Application Number:
  US10/840,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20050136519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 435/134
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/815 for yeasts other than Saccharomyces
• 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 7/6432 Eicosapentaenoic acids [EPA]
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/6472 containing polyunsaturated fatty acid [PUFA] residues, i.e. having two or more double bonds in their backbone

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for the production of ω-3 and/or ω-6 fatty acids in oleaginous yeast. Thus, desaturases and elongases able to catalyze the conversion of linoleic acid (LA) to γ-linolenic acid (GLA); α-linoleic acid (ALA) to stearidonic acid (STA); GLA to dihomo-γ-linoleic acid (DGLA); STA to eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA); DGLA to arachidonic acid (ARA); ETA to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); DGLA to ETA; EPA to docosapentaenoic acid (DPA); and ARA to EPA have been introduced into the genome of Yarrowia for synthesis of ARA and EPA.

Claims

1. A method for producing ω

-3 acids comprising;

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

comprising the genes encoding a functional ω

-3 fatty acid biosynthetic pathway;

b) growing the yeast of step (a) in the presence of a fermentable carbon source whereby one or more ω

-3 fatty acids are produced; and

c) optionally recovering the ω

-3 or fatty acid.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the genes encoding a functional ω

-3 fatty acid biosynthetic pathway are selected from the group consisting of;

Δ

12 desaturase, Δ

6 desaturase, elongase, Δ

5 desaturase, Δ

17 desaturase, Δ

15 desaturase, Δ

9 desaturase and Δ

4 desaturase.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the fermentable carbon source is selected from the group consisting of monosaccharides, oligosacoharides, polysaccharides, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, methanol and carbon-containing amines.

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

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the oleaginous yeast is Yarrowia lipolytica.