Method for producing arachidonic acid and/or eicosapentaenoic acid in useful transgenic plants

A process for producing arachidonic acid or eicosapentaenoic acid or arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in the vegetative tissue of a transgenic plant with a content of at least 4% by weight based on the total lipid content of the transgenic plant, the process comprising:

• a) introducing at least one nucleic acid sequence coding for a polypeptide having Δ6-desaturase activity into the plant, and
• b) introducing at least one nucleic acid sequence coding for a polypeptide having Δ6-elongase activity into the plant, and
• c) introducing at least one nucleic acid sequence coding for a polypeptide having Δ5-desaturase activity into the plant, and
• wherein the sequences indicated in steps (a) to (c) are expressed with the aid of at least one constitutive CaMV/35S promoter and terminator in the plant;
• wherein said promoter allows for the expression of the sequences indicated in steps (a) to (c) in vegetative tissue of said plant;
• and
• wherein the nucleic acid sequence coding for a polypeptide having Δ5-desaturase activity is selected from the group consisting of:
• i) a nucleic acid sequence comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 5,
• ii) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 6, and
• iii) a nucleic acid sequence which codes for a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% homology at the amino acid level to SEQ ID NO:
• 6, and has Δ5-desaturase activity.