Canola engineered with a microalgal polyketide synthase-like system produces oil enriched in docosahexaenoic acid

Nat Biotechnol. 2016 Aug;34(8):881-7. doi: 10.1038/nbt.3585. Epub 2016 Jul 11.

Abstract

Dietary omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5) are usually derived from marine fish. Although production of both EPA and DHA has been engineered into land plants, including Arabidopsis, Camelina sativa and Brassica juncea, neither has been produced in commercially relevant amounts in a widely grown crop. We report expression of a microalgal polyketide synthase-like PUFA synthase system, comprising three multidomain polypeptides and an accessory enzyme, in canola (Brassica napus) seeds. This transgenic enzyme system is expressed in the cytoplasm, and synthesizes DHA and EPA de novo from malonyl-CoA without substantially altering plastidial fatty acid production. Furthermore, there is no significant impact of DHA and EPA production on seed yield in either the greenhouse or the field. Canola oil processed from field-grown grain contains 3.7% DHA and 0.7% EPA, and can provide more than 600 mg of omega-3 LC-PUFAs in a 14 g serving.

MeSH terms

  • Brassica napus / genetics
  • Brassica napus / metabolism*
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / chemistry*
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / isolation & purification
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / metabolism
  • Genetic Enhancement / methods*
  • Microalgae / physiology*
  • Plant Oils / analysis
  • Plant Oils / chemistry
  • Plant Oils / metabolism*
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / metabolism
  • Polyketide Synthases / genetics
  • Polyketide Synthases / metabolism*
  • Protein Engineering / methods
  • Rapeseed Oil

Substances

  • Plant Oils
  • Rapeseed Oil
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids
  • Polyketide Synthases