Mutant fatty acid desaturase and methods for directed mutagenesis
US7323335B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 12, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC12N9/0083
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention relates to methods for producing fatty acid desaturase mutants having a substantially increased activity towards substrates with fewer than 18 carbon atom chains relative to an unmutagenized precursor desaturase having an 18 carbon chain length specificity, the sequences encoding the desaturases and to the desaturases that are produced by the methods. The present invention further relates to a method for altering a function of a protein, including a fatty acid desaturase, through directed mutagenesis involving identifying candidate amino acid residues, producing a library of mutants of the protein by simultaneously randomizing all amino acid candidates, and selecting for mutants which exhibit the desired alteration of function. Candidate amino acids are identified by a combination of methods. Enzymatic, binding, structural and other functions of proteins can be altered by the method.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.