James R. Petrie, Pushkar Shrestha, Srinivas Belide, Yoko Kennedy, Geraldine Lester, Qing Liu, Uday K. Divi, Roger J. Mulder, Maged P. Mansour, Peter D. Nichols, Surinder P. Singh

Omega-3 long-chain (≥ C20) polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 LC-PUFA) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DHA) are critical for human health and development. Numerous studies have indicated that deficiencies in these fatty acids can increase the risk or severity of cardiovascular, inflammatory and other diseases or disorders. EPA and DHA are predominantly sourced from marine fish although the primary producers are microalgae. Much work has been done to engineer a sustainable land-based source of EPA and DHA to reduce pressure on fish stocks in meeting future demand, with previous studies describing the production of fish oil-like levels of DHA in the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana.