Decoding KODA Production to Augment Stress Resistance in Plants
Published:21 Feb.2022 Source:Tokyo Institute of Technology
KODA, an agrochemical produced in extremely low amounts, which helps plants cope with environmental stressors, has been the subject of extensive research. To bolster KODA production, researchers from Tokyo Tech developed a novel plant-based platform. Using biotechnology tools, they successfully expressed external genes that facilitate KODA production in test plant species, and further improved KODA yield through incubation over time.
9-hydroxy-10-oxo-12(Z),15(Z)-octadecadienoic acid, or KODA, is an agrochemical belonging to the class of plant oxylipins. Oxylipins are oxidized fatty acids, mostly derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids like linolenic, linoleic, and roughanic acids or their esters. Oxylipins, including KODA, help plants recover from stresses like physical injury, infections etc. Many plants naturally synthesize KODA; however, the amount is usually low in most, an exception being the free-floating duckweed species, Lemna paucicostata.