Convergent evolution of psilocybin biosynthesis by psychedelic mushrooms
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) July 25, 2018 Ali R. Awan, Jaclyn M. Winter, Daniel J. Turner et al. 26 citations preprint
Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in dozens of mushroom species, is being studied for treating addiction, depression, and end-of-life suffering. New genome analyses of the hallucinogenic mushrooms Psilocybe cyanescens and Pluteus salicinus confirm and refine the genes responsible for psilocybin biosynthesis, showing that a previously implicated transcription factor is not part of that gene cluster. The mushroom Inocybe corydalina produces psilocybin but lacks the established cluster, and an alternative cluster is described. Meta-transcriptome analysis of wild mushrooms reveals gene expression from fly larvae growing inside Psilocybe cyanescens, and these larvae were reared to adulthood. Psilocybin does not fully protect against insect consumption, suggesting its ecological role as a defense compound may need rethinking.