New isolated nucleic acid encoding desaturase enzymes from pomegranate, useful for recombinant production of unsaturated fatty acids, for e.g. the production of food, animal feeds and pharmaceuticals

摘要

New isolated nucleic acid (I) encoding a polypeptide (II) with desaturase activity comprises: (a) a 1464 bp sequence (2); (b) a sequence deduced by reverse translation from a 374 amino acid (aa) sequence (3), encoded by (2), or (c) a derivative of (a) encoding a protein with at least 75% identity with (3) and with essentially the same enzymatic activity. Sequences (2) and (3) are reproduced. Independent claims are also included for: (1) an amino acid sequence encoded by (I); (2) a nucleic acid construct containing (I) and regulatory sequences; (3) a vector containing (I) or the construct of (2); (4) an organism containing (I), the construct of (2) or vector of (3); (5) transgenic plants containing (non-)functional (I) or construct of (2); (6) methods for preparing oils or triglycerides with increased content of unsaturated fatty acids; (7) oils, fats and fatty acid mixtures produced by method (6); (8) an isolated nucleic acid (Ia) encoding a protein (IIa) able to convert fatty acid (A) to more highly unsaturated acid (B); (9) an isolated nucleic acid (Ib) encoding a polypeptide (IIb) with desaturase activity that is (a) sequence (5) of 1389 bp, (b) a sequence deduced by reverse translation from a 387 amino acid (aa) sequence (6), encoded by (2), or (c) a derivative of (a) encoding a protein with at least 90% identity with (3) and with essentially the same enzymatic activity; (10) an amino acid sequence encoded by (Ib); (11) a nucleic acid construct containing (Ib) and regulatory sequences; (12) a vector containing (I) or the construct of (11); (13) an organism containing (I), the construct of (11) or vector of (12); and (14) transgenic plants containing (non-)functional (Ib) or construct of (11). R1 = hydrogen, 1-10C alkyl (optionally substituted, unsaturated and/or branched), or -CH2-CH(OR3)-CH2OR4; R2 = 1-9C alkyl, optionally substituted and/or unsaturated; R3, R4 = hydrogen, 1-22C alkylcarbonyl (optionally substituted, unsaturated and/or branched), or phospho; n = 1-14.