Labyrinthulid microorganism capable of producing microbial oil, microbial oil, methods for producing said microorganism and for producing said microbial oil, and uses of said microorganism and said microbial oil

Abstract

A Labyrinthulid microorganism capable of producing a PUFA only through the elongase-desaturase pathway. A Labyrinthulid microorganism which has no ability of producing a PUFA through the endogenous PUFA-PKS pathway or has the ability at an extremely weak level and which has an ability of producing a PUFA through the endogenous elongase-desaturase pathway. The Labyrinthulid microorganism is a microorganism belonging to the genus Parietichytrium or Parietichytrium.

1 - 39 . (canceled) 
     
     
         40 . Microbial oil that satisfies not less than one condition selected from the group consisting of (a) to (g), the microorganism being a labyrinthulid:
 (a) ARA is not less than 5% of a total fatty acid composition;   (b) DGLA is not less than 2.5% of the total fatty acid composition;   (c) ETA is not less than 0.35% of the total fatty acid composition;   (d) EPA is not less than 4% of the total fatty acid composition;   (e) n-6 DPA is not greater than 0.20% of the total fatty acid composition;   (f) DHA is not greater than 0.50% of the total fatty acid composition;   (g) The total of DHA and n-6 DPA is not greater than 0.7% of the total fatty acid composition.   
     
     
         41 . The microbial oil according to  claim 40 , wherein the microbial oil satisfies a condition that a value of n-6 DPA/DTA by GC area is not greater than 1.5. 
     
     
         42 . The microbial oil according to  claim 40 , wherein the microbial oil satisfies a condition that a value of DHA/n-3 DPA by GC area is not greater than 4. 
     
     
         43 . The microbial oil according to  claim 40 , wherein the microbial oil satisfies a condition that a value of C20 PUFA/C22 PUFA by GC area is not less than 0.5 and not greater than 50. 
     
     
         44 . The microbial oil according to  claim 40 , wherein the microbial oil satisfies a condition that a value of n-6 PUFA/n-3 PUFA by GC area is not less than 1.8. 
     
     
         45 . The microbial oil according to  claim 40 , wherein the labyrinthulid is obtained from a labyrinthulid selected from the group consisting of (A) and (B):
 (A) A labyrinthulid in which a fatty acid composition is modified by disruption and/or gene silencing;   (B) A labyrinthulid in which a fatty acid composition is modified by transforming a gene in addition to disruption and/or gene silencing.   
     
     
         46 . A microbial oil obtained from a labyrinthulid genetically modified such that a fatty acid composition is modified. 
     
     
         47 . The microbial oil according to  claim 46 , wherein the disrupted and/or silenced gene is a PKS gene, a fatty acid elongase gene, and/or a fatty acid desaturase gene. 
     
     
         48 . The microbial oil according to  claim 46 , wherein the transformed gene is a fatty acid elongase gene and/or a fatty acid desaturase gene. 
     
     
         49 . The microbial oil according to  claim 47 , wherein the fatty acid elongase gene is a C20 elongase gene. 
     
     
         50 . The microbial oil according to  claim 47 , wherein the fatty acid desaturase gene is a Δ4 desaturase gene and/or an ω3 desaturase gene. 
     
     
         51 . The microbial oil according to  claim 46 , wherein a method for disrupting or transforming a gene of a labyrinthulid is electroporation, a gene gun method, orgene editing. 
     
     
         52 . The microbial oil according to  claim 46 , wherein a method for gene silencing of a labyrinthulid is an antisense method or RNA interference. 
     
     
         53 . A microbial oil obtained from a labyrinthulid selected from the group consisting of (C) and (D):
 (C) A labyrinthulid having very weak or no activity of producing PUFAs via the PUFA-PKS pathway;   (D) A labyrinthulid in which the host PUFA-PKS gene is disrupted or silenced to a very weak level.   
     
     
         54 . The microbial oil according to  claim 53 , wherein the labyrinthulid having very weak or no activity of producing PUFAs via the PUFA-PKS pathway is a labyrinthulid belonging to the genus  Parietichytrium  or genus  Schizochytrium.    
     
     
         55 . The microbial oil according to  claim 54 , wherein the labyrinthulid belonging to the genus  Parietichytrium  is a labyrinthulid belonging to  Parietichytrium sarkarianum.    
     
     
         56 . The microbial oil according to  claim 54 , wherein the labyrinthulid belonging to the genus  Schizochytrium  is a labyrinthulid belonging to  Schizochytrium aggregatum.    
     
     
         57 . The microbial oil according to  claim 55 , wherein the microorganism belonging to  Parietichytrium sarkarianum  is  Parietichytrium  sp. SEK358 (FERM BP-11405),  Parietichytrium sarkarianum  SEK364 (FERM BP-11298), or  Parietichytrium  sp. SEK517 (FERM BP-11406). 
     
     
         58 . The microbial oil according to  claim 56 , wherein the microorganism belonging to  Schizochytrium aggregatum  is  Schizochytrium aggregatum  ATCC 28209. 
     
     
         59 . The microbial oil according to  claim 53 , wherein the labyrinthulid in which the host PUFA-PKS gene is disrupted or silenced to a very weak level belongs to the genus  Thraustochytrium.    
     
     
         60 . The microbial oil according to  claim 59 , wherein the labyrinthulid belonging to the genus  Thraustochytrium  is  Thraustochytrium aureum.    
     
     
         61 . The microbial oil according to  claim 40 , wherein the microbial oil satisfies at least one condition selected from the group consisting of (E) to (H):
 (E) A GC area ratio of ARA after modification is not less than 3 times greater than before modification;   (F) A GC area ratio of DGLA after modification is not less than 4 times greater than before modification;   (G) A GC area ratio of ETA after modification is not less than 7 times greater than before modification;   (H) A GC area ratio of EPA after modification is not less than 7 times greater than before modification.   
     
     
         62 . A method for producing the microbial oil described in  claim 61 , wherein the microbial oil has a value of n-6 DPA/DTA by GC area of not greater than 1.5. 
     
     
         63 . The method for producing the microbial oil described in  claim 61 , wherein the microbial oil has a value of DHA/n-3 DPA by GC area of not greater than 4. 
     
     
         64 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 61 , wherein the microbial oil satisfies a condition that a value of C20 PUFA/C22 PUFA by GC area is not less than 0.5 and not greater than 50. 
     
     
         65 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 61 , wherein the microbial oil satisfies a condition that a value of n-6 PUFA/n-3 PUFA by GC area is not less than 1.8. 
     
     
         66 . A method for producing microbial oil obtained from a labyrinthulid genetically modified such that a fatty acid composition is modified. 
     
     
         67 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 66 , wherein microbial oil is produced in a labyrinthulid genetically modified such that a fatty acid composition is modified, the labyrinthulid being selected from the group consisting of (A) and (B):
 (A) A labyrinthulid in which a fatty acid composition is modified by disruption and/or gene silencing gene silencing;   (B) A labyrinthulid in which a fatty acid composition is modified by transforming a gene in addition to disruption and/or gene silencing.   
     
     
         68 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 67 , wherein the disrupted and/or silenced gene is a PKS gene, a fatty acid elongase gene, and/or a fatty acid desaturase gene. 
     
     
         69 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 67 , wherein the transformed gene is a fatty acid elongase gene and/or a fatty acid desaturase gene. 
     
     
         70 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 68 , wherein the fatty acid elongase gene is a C20 elongase gene. 
     
     
         71 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 68 , wherein the fatty acid desaturase gene is a Δ4 desaturase gene and/or an ω3 desaturase gene. 
     
     
         72 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 67 , wherein a method for disrupting or transforming a gene of a labyrinthulid is electroporation, a gene gun method, or gene editing. 
     
     
         73 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 67 , wherein a method for gene silencing of a labyrinthulid is an antisense method or RNA interference. 
     
     
         74 . The method for producing microbial oil according to  claim 67 , wherein microbial oil is caused to be produced in a labyrinthulid selected from the group consisting of (C) and (D):
 (C) A labyrinthulid having very weak or no activity of producing PUFAs via the PUFA-PKS pathway;   (D) A labyrinthulid in which the host PUFA-PKS gene is disrupted or silenced to a very weak level.   
     
     
         75 . A method for producing microbial oil that satisfies at least one condition selected from the group consisting of (E) to (H):
 (E) A GC area ratio of ARA after modification is not less than 3 times greater than before modification;   (F) A GC area ratio of DGLA after modification is not less than 4 times greater than before modification;   (G) A GC area ratio of ETA after modification is not less than 7 times greater than before modification;   (H) A GC area ratio of EPA after modification is not less than 7 times greater than before modification.   
     
     
         76 . A food, animal feed, medication, or industrial product comprising the microbial oil described in  claim 40  as a lipid composition. 
     
     
         77 . A labyrinthulid that is genetically modified such that a produced fatty acid composition is modified and that produces the microbial oil described in  claim 40 . 
     
     
         78 . A method for creating the labyrinthulid genetically modified such that a produced fatty acid composition is modified described in  claim 77 .