Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved process for the specific preparation of unsaturated ?-3 fatty acids, and to a process for preparing triglycerides having an increased content of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly of ?-3 fatty acids having more than three double bonds. The invention relates to the preparation of a transgenic organism, preferably a transgenic plant or a transgenic microorganism, having increased content of fatty acids, oils or lipids having ?-4 double bonds owing to the expression of a ?-4-desaturase from Euglena gracilis. The invention additionally relates to expression cassettes comprising a nucleic acid sequence, a vector and organisms comprising at least one nucleic acid sequence or one expression cassette. The invention additionally relates to unsaturated fatty acids and to triglycerides having an increased content of unsaturated fatty acids and to the use thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing polyunsaturated fatty acids in an organism by introducing nucleic acids into said organism which code for polypeptides having acyl-CoA:lysophospholipid acyltransferase activity. Advantageously, these nucleic acid sequences may, if appropriate together with further nucleic acid sequences coding for biosynthesis polypeptides of the fatty acid or lipid metabolism, be expressed in the transgenic organism. The invention furthermore relates to the nucleic acid sequences, to nucleic acid constructs comprising the nucleic acid sequences of the invention, to vectors comprising said nucleic acid sequences and/or said nucleic acid constructs and to transgenic organisms comprising the abovementioned nucleic acid sequences, nucleic acid constructs and/or vectors. A further part of the invention relates to oils, lipids and/or fatty acids produced by the process of the invention and to their use.

Abstract: The invention relates to a novel elongase gene with the sequence SEQ ID NO:1 or its homologs, derivatives or analogs, to a gene construct comprising this gene or its homologs, derivatives and analogs, and to its use. The invention also relates to vectors or organisms comprising an elongase gene with the sequence SEQ ID NO:1 or its homologs, derivatives or analogs. Furthermore, the invention relates to a process for the preparation of polyunsaturated fatty acids and to a process for introducing DNA into organisms which produce large amounts of oils and, in particular, oils with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Moreover, the invention relates to an oil and/or a fatty acid preparation with a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with at least two double bonds and/or a triacylglycerol preparation with a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with at least two double bonds.

Abstract: The invention relates to a novel elongase gene with the sequences stated in sequence SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 5 and SEQ ID NO: 7 or their homologs, derivatives or analogs, to a gene construct comprising this gene or its homologs, derivatives and analogs, and to its use. The invention also relates to vectors or transgenic organisms comprising an elongase gene with the sequence SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 5 and SEQ ID NO: 7 or its homologs, derivatives and analogs. The invention furthermore relates to the use of the elongase gene sequences alone or in combination with further elongases and/or further fatty acid biosynthesis genes. The present invention relates to a novel elongase gene with the sequence SEQ ID NO:1 or its homologs, derivatives and analogs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a protein which presents identical or different catalytically active domains of glycosyltransferases and has a processive action. In particular, the same protein is successively active in at least two successive process steps.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the production of unsaturated fatty acids with at least two double bonds and/or a method for the production of triglycerides with an increased content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with at least two double bonds. The invention furthermore relates to the advantageous use of the nucleic acid sequences SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 11 or SEQ ID NO: 18 in the method and for generating a transgenic organism, preferably a transgenic plant or a transgenic microorganism, with an increased content of fatty acids, oils or lipids with unsaturated C18-, C20-, or C22-fatty acids.

Abstract: The present invention relates to expression cassettes, to their combination and vectors comprising the expression cassettes comprising plant promoters with an expression specificity for plant seeds, in particular linseed, and to the use of these expression cassettes or vectors for the recombinant expression of heterologous genes in plants. The invention furthermore relates to transgenic plants which have been transformed with these expression cassettes or vectors, to cultures, parts or transgenic propagation material derived therefrom, and to their use as food, feed or seed, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals or as industrial feedstock.

Abstract: Provided is a method for the generation and selection of transgenic plant cells and tissue as well as plants of the genus Linum, in particular flax. Furthermore, transgenic plant cells, tissue and plants obtained by a method of the invention and their use in plant cell and tissue culture and plant breeding is described.

Abstract: The invention relates to DNA sequences coding for sterol glucosyl transferases as well as the use thereof to modify the content and/or the structure of sterol glycosides and/or their synthetic secondary products in transgenic organism.

Abstract: A process for the thermal decomposition and conversion of metal chlorides to metal oxides in a fluidized bed wherein the fluidizing gas contains oxygen and the reaction temperature is maintained above the thermal decomposition temperature of the metal chloride but below the sintering temperature of the metal oxide thus produced. The gas velocity is determined by the critical relationship 0.34.rho..sup.0.9 .ltoreq. W.sub.G .ltoreq. 0.56.rho..sup.0.9 where W.sub.G is the approximate gas velocity through the fluidized bed chamber in the absence of the bed and .rho. is the density of the pure fluidized-bedmaterial (metal oxide). The height of the bed is also critical and should be that at which a critical pressure drop of 1200 to 2400 mm (water column) is obtained but at least 350 mm, measuring with the static or settled bed (nonfluidized).