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An alternative to fish oils: metabolic engineering of oilseed crops to
produce omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.
M Venegas-Caleron, O Sayanova, JA Napier
It is now accepted that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids,
especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5Delta5,8,11,14,17) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6Delta4,7,10,13,16,19) play important
roles in a number of aspects of human health, with marine fish rich in
these beneficial fatty acids our primary dietary source. However,
overfishing and concerns about pollution of the marine environment
indicate a need to develop alternative, sustainable sources of very
long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) such as EPA and
DHA. A number of different strategies have been considered, with one
of the most promising being transgenic plants "reverse-engineered" to
produce these so-called fish oils. Considerable progress has been made
towards this goal and in this review we will outline the recent
achievements in demonstrating the production of omega-3 VLC-PUFAs in
transgenic plants. We will also consider how these enriched oils will
allow the development of nutritionally-enhanced food products,
suitable either for direct human ingestion or for use as an animal
feedstuff. In particular, the requirements of aquaculture for omega-3
VLC-PUFAs will act as a strong driver for the development of such
products. In addition, biotechnological research on the synthesis of
VLC-PUFAs has provided new insights into the complexities of acyl-
channelling and triacylglycerol biosynthesis in higher plants.
PMID: 19857520 |
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