Cloning and functional characterisation of an enzyme involved in the elongation of delta-6-polyunsaturated fatty acids from the moss Physcomitrella patens

The moss Physcomitrella patens contains high proportions of polyunsaturated very-long-chain fatty acids with up to 20 carbon atoms. Starting from preformed C-18 polyunsaturated fatty acids, their biosynthesis involves a sequence of Delta6- desaturation