The present invention relates to an improved process for the specific
production of poly-unsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and a
process for the production of triglycerides having an increased content
of unsaturated fatty acids, in particular omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
having at least two double bonds and a 20 or 22 carbon atom chain length.
The invention relates to the production of a transgenic organism,
preferably a transgenic plant or a transgenic microorganism, hav-ing an
increased content of fatty acids, oils or lipids containing C20- or
C22-fatty acids with a delta-5, 7, 8, 10 double bond, respectively due to
the expression of a delta-8-desaturase and a delta-9-elon-gase from
organisms such as plants preferably Algae like Isochrysis galbana or
Euglena gracilis. In addition the invention relates to a process for the
production of poly unsaturated fatty acids such as Eicosapentaenoic,
Arachidonic, Docosapentaenoic or Doosahexaenoic acid through the
co-expression of a delta-8-desaturase, a delta-9-elongase and a delta-5
desaturase in organisms such as microorganisms or plants. The invention
additionally relates to the use of specific nucleic acid sequences
encoding for the aforementioned proteins with delta-8-desaturase-,
delta-9-elongase- or delta-5-desaturase-activity, nucleic acid
constructs, vectors and organisms containing said nucleic acid sequences.
The invention further relates to unsaturated fatty acids and
triglycerides having an increased content of at least 1% by weight of
unsaturated fatty acids and use thereof.