The invention provides recombinant host organisms genetically modified with a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) synthase system and one or more accessory proteins that allow for and/or improve the production of PUFAs in the host organism. The present invention also relates to methods of making and using such organisms as well as products obtained from such organisms.

The disclosure pertains to a method for the production of triacylglycerides (TAGs or Triacylglyerols) and fatty acids by the recombinant expression of a Δ11 fatty acid desaturase in protists.

The present invention provides a method of producing a composition containing docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid of glycerides. The method includes hydrolyzing a feedstock oil containing glycerides, the glycerides including docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid, by action of a first lipase and a second lipase, to increase the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid in glyceride fractions. The first lipase is at least one lipase selected from the group consisting of a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Thermomyces, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Pseudomonas, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Burkholderia, and a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Alcaligenes. The second lipase is a partial glyceride lipase.

The present invention provides a method of producing a composition containing docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid of glycerides. The method includes hydrolyzing a feedstock oil containing glycerides, the glycerides including docosahexaenoic acid as a constituent fatty acid, by action of a first lipase and a second lipase, to increase the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid in glyceride fractions. The first lipase is at least one lipase selected from the group consisting of a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Thermomyces, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Pseudomonas, a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Burkholderia, and a lipase obtained from a microorganism of the genus Alcaligenes. The second lipase is a partial glyceride lipase.

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.

Docosahexaenoic acid-containing oil containing docosahexaenoic acid in a concentration of 40 wt. % or more of the total weight of fatty acids in the oil, and having an endothermic peak temperature determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of 15 C. or lower; a biomass including the same; and a method for producing docosahexaenoic acid-containing oil including obtaining a biomass by culturing microorganisms of the genus Aurantiochytrium capable of producing this docosahexaenoic acid-containing oil, recovering the biomass after culture, and extracting the oil from the biomass after recovery.

The present invention relates to recombinant vectors, modified microorganisms, and methods for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid production.

The present invention discloses a strain of bacteria producing DHA and/or EPA, six gene fragments in the bacterial genome, and uses thereof. The strain is Schizoochytrium limacinum HS01, which has the accession number of CGMCC No. 13746 at China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center. The six gene fragments are composed of gene fragment 1 to gene fragment 6, and the nucleotide sequences are sequentially as shown in SEQ ID NO: 3 to SEQ ID NO: 8 in the Sequence Listing. The experiments prove that fermentation broth containing DHA and EPA can be obtained by fermenting Schizoochytrium limacinum HS01; the recombinant strain is obtained by introducing gene fragment 1 to gene fragment 6 into Schizoochytrium limacinum MYA-1381; the ability the recombinant strain for producing DHA and EPA is greatly improved. The bacteria provided by the invention, the six gene fragments, the protein encoded by these six gene fragments, the vector, the cell or the organism containing these six gene fragments all have important application values.

Provided herein are methods of recovering oil from microorganisms. The methods are useful, for example, in obtaining nutritional oils and/or lipid biofuels. The methods of recovering oil described herein include contacting a population of microorganisms with one or more enzymes under conditions that cause disruption of the microorganisms, concentrating the disrupted microorganisms, and extracting lipids from the disrupted microorganisms at high temperature in the presence of a salt and in the absence of solvent.

Provided herein are methods of recovering oil from microorganisms. The methods are useful, for example, in obtaining nutritional oils and/or lipid biofuels. The methods of recovering oil described herein include contacting a population of microorganisms with one or more enzymes under conditions that cause disruption of the microorganisms, concentrating the disrupted microorganisms, and extracting lipids from the disrupted microorganisms at high temperature in the presence of a salt and in the absence of solvent.