Scientists have identified the genes that produce codeine and morphine in the opium poppy – used in medicine as painkillers.
These genes code for the formation of certain enzymes, the search for which has been the subject of biochemists’ research for many years. Researchers at the University of Calgary were successful in this search, who reported their results in the latest issue of the journal Nature Chemical Biology.
It was an exciting day – says Dr. Jilian Hagel from the University of Calgary about the moment when among approx. 23 genes, the CODM gene was found, which is responsible for the production of the enzyme that turns codeine into morphine.
The great significance of this discovery lies in its applicability in the production of drugs. Codeine is mainly obtained from morphine, which is abundantly produced by the opium poppy. According to Dr. Peter Facchini, head of the Canadian laboratory, this discovery will allow the creation of plants that will produce not morphine, but codeine.
It also opens the way to other methods of producing codeine for medical purposes, e.g. using genetically modified yeast or bacteria. (PAP)