Abstract
The global consumption of fish oils currently exceeds one million tonnes, with the natural de novo source of these important fatty acids forming the base of marine foodwebs. Here we describe the first field-based evaluation of a terrestrial source of these essential nutrients, synthesised in the seeds of transgenic Camelina sativa plants via the heterologous reconstitution of the omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthetic pathway. Our data demonstrate the robust nature of this novel trait, and the feasibility of making fish oils in genetically modified crops. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the most complex example of plant genetic engineering to undergo environmental release and field evaluation.
Highlights
Seville, Spain.production of food for human consumption, there remains a quandary in the cultivation of marine and salmonid species, namely the requirement for n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA)
We and others have produced genetically engineered plants in which endogenous fatty acid biosynthesis has been augmented with the capacity to synthesise the otherwise non-native n-3 LCPUFAs (Qi et al, 2004; Wu et al, 2005; Petrie et al, 2012; Ruiz-Lopez et al, 2014)
This metabolic engineering demonstrated the feasibility of making eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3; EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3; DHA) in the seed oils of transgenic plants, and in particular, Camelina sativa
Summary
Spain.production of food for human consumption, there remains a quandary in the cultivation of marine and salmonid species, namely the requirement for n-3 LC-PUFAs (since such fish, like other vertebrates, cannot effectively synthesise these fatty acids from shorter precursors). Supplementation of aquafeed diets with vegetable oils, which lack n-3 LC-PUFAs, results in finished fish devoid of these health-beneficial fatty acids and consumer confusion (Bell et al, 2010). For all of these reasons, a new sustainable de novo source of n-3 LC-PUFAs is desirable, to break the cycle of capture-extractionfeed. We and others have produced genetically engineered plants in which endogenous fatty acid biosynthesis has been augmented with the capacity to synthesise the otherwise non-native n-3 LCPUFAs (Qi et al, 2004; Wu et al, 2005; Petrie et al, 2012; Ruiz-Lopez et al, 2014) This metabolic engineering demonstrated the feasibility of making eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3; EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3; DHA) in the seed oils of transgenic plants, and in particular, Camelina sativa. C. sativa seed oil has a favourable endogenous fatty acid composition, being rich in the
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