Journal of Psychedelic Studies
April 5, 2024
Dusty R. Miller, Jordan Taylor Jacobs, Alan Rockefeller et al.
7 citations
Psilocybe zapotecorum, a blue-bruising mushroom used ceremonially by indigenous groups in southeastern Mexico, was characterized through morphology, cultivation, chemical profiling, and full genome sequencing. The genome revealed the architecture of the psilocybin gene cluster, serving as a reference for Psilocybe clade I. Chemical analysis showed a psilocybin concentration of 17.9 ± 1.7 mg/g (range 10.6–25.7 mg/g, n = 7) and lesser amounts of related tryptamines, yielding a combined tryptamine concentration of 22.5 ± 3.2 mg/g. These findings indicate P. zapotecorum is a potent and chemically variable species. Cultivation and genetic analysis help demystify these mushrooms, expanding understanding beyond the molecule as clinical psilocybin studies advance.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
November 2, 2023
Jordan Taylor Jacobs, Alan Rockefeller, Harte Singer et al.
4 citations
preprint
*Psilocybe zapotecorum*, a mushroom with historical indigenous use, contains a potent psilocybin concentration of 17.9 mg/g, ranging from 10.6-25.7 mg/g across seven samples. Its full genome, revealing the psilocybin gene cluster, offers new biological insights. Combining Fungal Biology and Applications with Chemical synthesis and alkaloids, the work profiles its complex tryptamine chemistry, including psilocin and baeocystin. A total tryptamine concentration reached 22.5 mg/g. These findings advance Psychedelics and Drug Studies by illuminating the diversity of naturally occurring psilocybin sources.
Microbiology Resource Announcements
December 27, 2024
Harte Singer, Jordan Jacobs, Marshall Tyler et al.
3 citations
Psilocybe mushrooms are ecologically, ethnomycologically, and clinically important because most species produce psilocybin. Five newly sequenced genomes—from Psilocybe semilanceata, Psilocybe gandalfiana, Psilocybe caeruleorhiza, Psilocybe azurescens, and Psilocybe allenii—enable deeper discovery and analysis of the psilocybin gene cluster and improve taxonomic resolution within the genus.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
January 2, 2026
Jason C. Slot, Alexander J. Bradshaw, Bryn T. M. Dentinger et al.
Psilocybe fuscofulva, a species of psychedelic mushroom, lacks the blue bruising and psilocybin found in other Psilocybe species. Genome sequencing and phylogenomic analysis placed P. fuscofulva as the earliest-diverging lineage in Clade I and found no psilocybin gene cluster (PGC) homologs in its genome, while all other examined Psilocybe genomes contained a single intact PGC. The PGC resides in two distinct, clade-specific genomic loci, with characteristic gene orders and orientations suggesting rearrangement through circular intermediates. Time-calibrated phylogenies estimated the Psilocybe crown group at about 28 million years ago, with major clade divergences in the Miocene. The absence of the PGC in P.