Ecology & Biology

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Study

Scientists Reveal the Enzyme Step That Completes Psilocybin

Scientists Reveal the Enzyme Step That Completes Psilocybin

Psilocybin mushrooms

What they found

The mushroom enzyme PsiM relies on the amino acid Asn247 to finish making psilocybin.

The mushroom enzyme PsiM relies on the amino acid Asn247 to finish making psilocybin.

How solid is it?

Lab dish

Lab dish

In vitro (lab dish)

In vitro (lab dish)

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Compound

psilocybin; PsiM

psilocybin; PsiM

Published in

ChemBioChem

ChemBioChem

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Half of the Equation

Half of the Equation

Researchers discovered how a mushroom enzyme makes the final tweak to create psilocybin. The enzyme, PsiM, uses a tiny helper—an amino acid called Asn247—to keep things in place and finish the two-step chemical process that converts a precursor into psilocybin. Without Asn247, the enzyme can only complete half the job, which shows how crucial this little helper is in making psilocybin fully active​.

Researchers discovered how a mushroom enzyme makes the final tweak to create psilocybin. The enzyme, PsiM, uses a tiny helper—an amino acid called Asn247—to keep things in place and finish the two-step chemical process that converts a precursor into psilocybin. Without Asn247, the enzyme can only complete half the job, which shows how crucial this little helper is in making psilocybin fully active​.

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