Stabilising fatty acid compositions

Abstract

Assay method, comprising providing a plant capable of expressing a delta-12 desaturase, wherein said delta-12 desaturase has at least 50% total amino acid sequence identity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and/or at least 59% total amino acid sequence similarity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and wherein the plant is also capable of expressing at least one or more enzymes of unsaturated fatty acid metabolism, of which enzymes at least one is capable of using linoleic acid as a substrate, and of which enzymes at least one is supposedly connected to a plant metabolic property, growing the plant, and measuring said plant metabolic property for said plant.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A method of producing one or more desired unsaturated fatty acids in a plant, comprising growing a plant,
 said plant expressing, at least temporarily, a delta-12 desaturase, wherein said delta-12 desaturase has at least 50% total amino acid sequence identity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and/or at least 59% total amino acid sequence similarity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and   said plant expressing one or more further genes to convert linoleic acid to said one or more desired unsaturated fatty acids.   
     
     
         10 . A nucleic acid comprising
 a) a gene coding for a Delta-12 desaturase, wherein said delta-12 desaturase has at least 50% total amino acid sequence identity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and/or at least 59% total amino acid sequence similarity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336 and wherein the gene does not code for a Delta-12 desaturase of any of the exact sequences SEQ ID NO. 329 to 336, or   b) a gene coding for a Delta-12 desaturase, wherein said delta-12 desaturase has at least 50% total amino acid sequence identity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and/or at least 59% total amino acid sequence similarity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336 and wherein the gene is operably linked to an expression control sequence, and wherein the expression control sequence is heterologous to said gene if the gene codes for any of the exact sequences according to SEQ ID NO. 329 to 336.   
     
     
         11 . A plant or plant cell comprising a gene coding for a delta-12 desaturase, wherein said delta-12 desaturase has at least 50% total amino acid sequence identity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and/or at least 59% total amino acid sequence similarity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336. 
     
     
         12 . A plant set comprising at least two plant groups,
 wherein the plant or plants of each group are capable of expressing a delta-12 desaturase, wherein said delta-12 desaturase has at least 50% total amino acid sequence identity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336, and/or at least 59% total amino acid sequence similarity to at least one of the sequences SEQ ID NO. 328 to 336,   and wherein the plant or plants of said groups comprise one or more genes coding for at least one or more enzymes of unsaturated fatty acid metabolism, of which enzymes at least one is capable of using linoleic acid as a substrate, and of which enzymes at least one is supposedly connected to a plant metabolic property, and wherein the plants of said groups differ in the expression of at least one of the enzymes of unsaturated fatty acid metabolism.   
     
     
         13 . The plant set of  claim 12 , wherein the plant or plants of each group are grown under greenhouse conditions. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the plant is of order Brassicales. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the plant is of family Brassicaceae. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the plant is grown under greenhouse conditions. 
     
     
         17 . The plant or plant cell of  claim 11 , wherein the plant or plant cell is of order Brassicales. 
     
     
         18 . The plant or plant cell of  claim 11 , wherein the plant or plant cell is of family Brassicaceae. 
     
     
         19 . The plant set  claim 12 , wherein the plant or plants of each group are of order Brassicales. 
     
     
         20 . The plant set of  claim 12 , wherein the plant or plants of each group are of family Brassicaceae. 
     
     
         21 . The plant set of  claim 13 , wherein the distance between a plant of one group and a plant of another group is at most 100 m. 
     
     
         22 . The plant set of  claim 13 , wherein the distance between a plant of one group and a plant of another group is at most 50 m. 
     
     
         23 . The plant set of  claim 13 , wherein the distance between a plant of one group and a plant of another group is at most 25 m.