Fatty acid desaturases and mutant sequences thereof

Abstract From the Canadian patent

Seeds, plants and oils are provided having high oleic acid; low linoleic acid; and low linoleic acid plus linolenic acid; and advantageous functional or nutritional properties. Plants are disclosed that contain a mutation in a delta-12 or delta-15 fatty acid desaturase gene. Preferred plants are rapeseed and sunflower plats. Plants carrying such mutant genes have altered fatty acid composition in seeds. In one embodiment, a plant contains a mutation in a region having the conserved motif His-Xaa-Xaa-His found in, delta-12 and delta-15 fatty acid desaturases. A preferred motif has the sequence His-Glu-Cys-Gly-His. A preferred mutation in this motif has the amino acid sequence …