Patent ID: 8013216

Claim:
A method of producing γ-linolenic acid (18:3 Δ6,9,12 ) or stearidonic acid (18:4 Δ6,9,12,15 ) or a method of producing γ-linolenic acid (18:3 Δ6,9,12 ) and stearidonic acid (18:4 Δ6,9,12,15 ) in a transgenic plant, wherein the transgenic plant comprises at least 10% by weight of oleic acid based on the total fatty acid content and wherein the method comprises: a) introducing, into a plant, a nucleic acid sequence which codes for a Δ6-desaturase, b) expressing, in the plant, the nucleic acid sequence which codes for a Δ6-desaturase, and c) growing and harvesting the plant, wherein the nucleic acid sequence which codes for a Δ6-desaturase comprises: i) the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, ii) a nucleic acid sequence which, as the result of the degeneracy of the genetic code, can be derived from the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, or iii) a nucleic acid sequence which codes for a polypeptide having at least 95% homology with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 and having Δ6-desaturase activity, wherein the Δ6-desaturase encoded by said nucleic acid sequence has a substrate specificity for α-linolenic acid which is more than 20 times higher than the substrate specificity for linoleic acid, and wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of plants of the family Brassicaceae or Linaceae, soya, oilseed rape, and sunflower.