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Nature Biotechnology 23, 1013–1017 (1 August 2005) | doi:10.1038/nbt1107

Stepwise engineering to produce high yields of very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in plants

Guohai Wu , Martin Truksa , Nagamani Datla , Patricia Vrinten , Joerg Bauer , Thorsten Zank , Petra Cirpus , Ernst Heinz & Xiao Qiu

Very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFAs) such as arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are valuable commodities that provide important human health benefits. We report the transgenic production of significant amounts of AA and EPA in Brassica juncea seeds via a stepwise metabolic engineering strategy.