Towards a molecular approach for the identification of fungal taxa that contain psilocybin
OpenGrey January 1, 2001 Lee Jc 2 citations
Morphological traits are unreliable for identifying psilocybin-producing mushrooms, especially when specimens are dried or pulverized. Molecular techniques, specifically RAPD and AFLP profiling, can provide genus- and species-level information. Twenty samples from the genera Psilocybe and Panaeolus were analyzed using two RAPD primer sets and five AFLP selective primer pairs. AFLP band patterns separated by PAGE and stained with silver nitrate offered a reliable species test. Sequencing of nuclear small subunit ribosomal DNA was also performed on the twenty samples. The findings suggest that molecular methods can overcome the limitations of classical taxonomy for these fungi.