S-adenosyl-L-methionin salvage impacts psilocybin formation in 'magic' mushrooms.

Demmler R, Fricke J, Dörner S, Gressler M, Hoffmeister D (2020) S-adenosyl-L-methionin salvage impacts psilocybin formation in 'magic' mushrooms. ChemBioChem 21(9), 1364-1371.

Abstract

Psychotropic Psilocybe mushrooms biosynthesize their principal natural product psilocybin in five steps, among them a phosphotransfer and two methyltransfer reactions, which consume one equivalent of 5'-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and two equivalents of S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM). This short but co-substrate-intensive pathway requires nucleoside cofactor salvage to maintain high psilocybin production rates. We characterized the adenosine kinase (AdoK) and S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (SAH) hydrolase (SahH) of Psilocybe cubensis. Both enzymes are directly or indirectly involved in regenerating SAM. qRT-PCR expression analysis revealed an induced expression of the genes in the fungal primordia and carpophores. A one-pot in vitro reaction with the N-methyltransferase PsiM of the psilocybin pathway demonstrates a concerted action with SahH to facilitate biosynthesis by removal of accumulating SAH.

Leibniz-HKI-Authors

Richard Demmler
Sebastian Dörner
Janis Fricke
Markus Greßler
Dirk Hoffmeister

Identifier

doi: 10.1002/cbic.201900649

PMID: 31802575