Genetic Survey of Psilocybe Natural Products
ChemBioChem – May 18, 2022
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psilocybe mushrooms harbor far more chemical diversity than previously thought. Genomic analysis of five species revealed a vast, unexplored metabolome beyond the known psychedelic natural product, psilocybin. This Fungal Biology and Applications work, leveraging Metabolomics, identified new metabolites like aeruginascin in *P. cyanescens* and *P. mexicana*, and also lumichrome and verpacamide A. This deeper understanding of their Biology and natural product chemistry offers crucial insights for Psychedelics and Drug Studies, potentially explaining elusive phenomena like paralytic effects.
Abstract
Abstract Psilocybe magic mushrooms are best known for their main natural product, psilocybin, and its dephosphorylated congener, the psychedelic metabolite psilocin. Beyond tryptamines, the secondary metabolome of these fungi is poorly understood. The genomes of five species ( P. azurescens , P. cubensis , P. cyanescens , P. mexicana , and P. serbica ) were browsed to understand more profoundly common and species‐specific metabolic capacities. The genomic analyses revealed a much greater and yet unexplored metabolic diversity than evident from parallel chemical analyses. P. cyanescens and P. mexicana were identified as aeruginascin producers. Lumichrome and verpacamide A were also detected as Psilocybe metabolites. The observations concerning the potential secondary metabolome of this fungal genus support pharmacological and toxicological efforts to find a rational basis for yet elusive phenomena, such as paralytic effects, attributed to consumption of some magic mushrooms.