Alkaloid yeasts

2008/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Genetika
• Mikrobiologia

Two researchers at the California Institute of Technology have gotten some yeasts to produce alkaloids. Man has spent time using some alkaloids such as morphine and analgesic codeine as drugs. Until now, the plants that produce them should be removed or synthesized in laboratories, and both were costly and laborious processes.

Californian researchers introduced certain genes from three plants to certain yeasts --Papaver somniferum (lo-grass), Thalictrum flavum and Arabidopsis thaliana -, and yeasts began to produce seven types of alkaloids, including morphine.

This new production line is simpler and cheaper than those they have had to use so far. In addition, they have also managed to produce intermediate molecules that are usually formed in the way of the manufacture of alkaloids and that were not available with the previous processes.

Alkaloids are secondary metabolites produced by plants to interact with the outside environment (they can be toxic substances to protect from predators, attractive polyn substances, etc. ).