Methods and compositions for synthesis of long chain polyunsaturatd fatty acids

A nutritional formula comprising a microbial oil or fraction thereof obtained according to a method for obtaining altered long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, the method comprising:

• growing a plant having cells which contain one or more transgenes, derived from a fungus or algae, which encodes a transgene expression product which desaturates a fatty acid molecule at a carbon selected from the group consisting of carbon 6 and carbon 12 from the carboxyl end of said fatty acid molecule, wherein said one or more transgenes is operably associated with an expression control sequence, under conditions whereby said one or more transgenes is expressed, whereby long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in said cells is altered.

A nutritional formula comprising a microbial oil or fraction thereof produced by:

• growing one or more transgenic microbial cells under suitable conditions whereby said cells express a transgenic polypeptide wherein the sequence of said polypeptide comprises a sequence selected from the group consisting of residues 50-53, 39-43, 172-176, 204-213, and 390-402 of SEQ ID NO:2.

A nutritional formula comprising a microbial oil or fraction thereof produced by:

• growing microbial cells which contain one or more transgenes which encode a transgene expression product under conditions whereby said one or more transgenes are expressed, whereby long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in said cells is altered whereby said transgene comprises a nucleotide sequence which encodes a polypeptide wherein the sequence of the polypeptide comprises a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, and SEQ ID NO:26.

A nutritional formula comprising a microbial oil or fraction thereof produced by:

• growing one or more transgenic microbial cells under suitable conditions whereby said cells express one or more transgenic polypeptides wherein the sequence of said one or more polypeptides comprises a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, and SEQ ID NO:26.