Disclosed are the complete polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) polyketide
synthase (PKS) systems from the bacterial microorganisms Shewanella
japonica and Shewanella olleyana, and biologically active fragments and
homologues thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to nucleic
acids encoding such PUFA PKS systems, to proteins and domains thereof
that comprise such PUFA PKS systems, to genetically modified organisms
(plants and microorganisms) comprising such PUFA PKS systems, and to
methods of making and using the PUFA PKS systems disclosed herein. This
invention also relates to genetically modified plants and microorganisms
and methods to efficiently produce lipids enriched in various
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as well as other bioactive molecules
by manipulation of a PUFA polyketide synthase (PKS) system.