Methods for conversion of the substrate specificity of desaturases

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for the conversion of the substrate specificity of desaturases. Specifically, the present invention pertains to a method for the conversion of the substrate specificity of a Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase to the substrate specificity of a Δ4 desaturase, the method comprising: identifying regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of (i) the Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase and (ii) the Δ4 desaturase; and replacing in the amino acid sequence of the mentioned Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase, the regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase, by the corresponding regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the Δ4 desaturase, thereby converting the substrate specificity of the Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase to the substrate specificity of the Δ4 desaturase. The present invention further concerns a method for the conversion of the substrate specificity of a Δ4 desaturase to the substrate specificity of a Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase, the method comprising: identifying regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of (i) the Δ4 desaturase and (ii) the Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase; and replacing in the amino acid sequence of the indicated Δ4 desaturase, the regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the Δ4 desaturase, by the corresponding regions and/or amino acid residues which control the substrate specificity of the Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase, thereby converting the substrate specificity of the Δ4 desaturase to the substrate specificity of the Δ5 and/or Δ6 desaturase. In addition, the invention encompasses desaturases with converted substrate specificity.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.