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Engineering Oilseed Plants for a Sustainable, Land-Based Source of Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

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Lipids

Abstract

Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the cardiovascular and mental health benefits of including very long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely eicospentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosohexaenoic acid (DHA) in the human diet. Certain fish oils can be a rich source of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids although processed marine oils are generally undesirable as food ingredients because of the associated objectionable flavors and contaminants that are difficult and cost-prohibitive to remove. Oilseed plants rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as flax and walnut oils, contain only the 18-carbon omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, which is poorly converted by the human body to EPA and DHA. It is now possible to engineer common omega-6 rich oilseeds such as soybean and canola to produce EPA and DHA and this has been the focus of a number of academic and industrial research groups. Recent advances and future prospects in the production of EPA and DHA in oilseed crops are discussed here.

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Abbreviations

LCPUFA:

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid

ARA:

Arachidonic acid

COX-2:

Cyclooxygenase-2

LNA:

Linoleic acid

ALA:

Alpha-linolenic acid

GLA:

Gamma-linolenic acid

STA:

Stearidonic acid

DGLA:

Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid

ETA:

Eicosatetraenoic acid

EDA:

Eicosadienoic acid

ERA:

Eicosatrienoic acid

DPA:

Docosapentaenoic acid

CoA:

Coenzyme A

PtdCho:

Phosphatidylcholine

LPAAT:

Lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase

SCA:

Sciadonic acid

JUN:

Juniperonic acid

PKS:

Polyketide synthase

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  1. Crop Genetics Research, DuPont Experimental Station, Wilmington, DE, 19880-0353, USA

    Howard G. Damude & Anthony J. Kinney

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  1. Howard G. Damude
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  2. Anthony J. Kinney
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Correspondence to Anthony J. Kinney.

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Damude, H.G., Kinney, A.J. Engineering Oilseed Plants for a Sustainable, Land-Based Source of Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. Lipids 42, 179–185 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-007-3049-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-007-3049-1

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