Methods to increase the percent of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)
within the total lipids and oils of PUFA-producing oleaginous organisms
are provided herein, by regulating the activity of specific
acyltransferases. Specifically, since oil biosynthesis is expected to
compete with polyunsaturation during oleaginy, it is possible to reduce
or inactivate the activity of an organism's DAG ATs (e.g.,
phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT) and/or diacylglycerol
acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) and/or diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2
(DGAT2)) to thereby reduce the overall rate of oil biosynthesis while
concomitantly increasing the percent of PUFAs that are incorporated into
the lipid and oil fractions. The teachings herein will thereby enable one
to engineer a wide variety of oleaginous organisms to produce oils with
very specific fatty acid compositions.