Scientists have identified genes that produce the poison of the death cap mushroom -- a unique pathway previously unknown in fungi. Reported in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work not only solves a mystery of how some mushrooms make the toxin -- but also sheds light on the underlying biochemical machinery. It might be possible one day to harness the mushroom genes to make novel chemicals that would be useful as new drugs.
Posted on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:00:00 EST at
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...172158.htm
Hi
Such good information. Alpha-amanitin is the poison of the death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides. The Michigan State University plant biology research associate was looking for a big gene that makes a big enzyme that produces alpha-amanitin, since that's how other fungi produce similar compounds. But after years of defeat, she and her team called in the big guns -- new technology that sequences DNA about as fast as a death cap mushroom can kill.
The results: The discovery of remarkably small genes that produce the toxin -- a unique pathway previously unknown in fungi.
The discovery is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It is work that not only solves a mystery of how some mushrooms make the toxin -- but also sheds light on the underlying biochemical machinery. It might be possible one day to harness the mushroom genes to make novel chemicals that would be useful as new drugs.