Synthetic Delta17 desaturase derived from Phytophthora ramourum and its use in making polyunsaturated fatty acids

摘要

The present invention relates to Delta17 desaturases, which have the ability to convert omega-6 fatty acids into their omega-3 counterparts (i.e., conversion of arachidonic acid [20:4, ARA] to eicosapentaenoic acid [20:5, EPA]). Isolated nucleic acid fragments and recombinant constructs comprising such fragments encoding Delta17 desaturases along with a method of making long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) using these Delta17 desaturases in plants and oleaginous yeast is disclosed.