title: Expression of a cyanobacterial delta 6-desaturase gene results in gamma-linolenic acid production in transgenic plants.
abstract: Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a nutritionally important fatty acid in human and animal diets, is not produced in oil seed crops. Many oil seed plants, however, produce significant quantities of linoleic acid, a fatty acid that could be converted to GLA by the enzyme delta 6-desaturase if it were present. As a first step to producing GLA in oil seed crops, we have cloned a cyanobacterial delta 6-desaturase gene. Expression of this gene in transgenic tobacco resulted in GLA accumulation. Octadecatetraenoic acid, a highly unsaturated, industrially important fatty acid, was also found in transgenic tobacco plants expressing the cyanobacterial delta 6-desaturase. This is the first example of engineering the production of 'novel' polyunsaturated fatty acids in transgenic plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843, USA.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001709:Biotechnology; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D006801:Humans; D050602:Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D017965:gamma-Linolenic Acid; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases; D050602:Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase; C013641:parinaric acid