Different Types of Magic Mushrooms Use Unique Biochemical Paths to Produce the Same Active Compound

janrinok writes:

https://phys.org/news/2025-09-magic-mushrooms-unique-biochemical-paths.html

A German-Austrian team led by Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Leibniz-HKI has been able to biochemically demonstrate for the first time that different types of mushrooms produce the same mind-altering active substance, psilocybin, in different ways.

Both Psilocybe mushrooms and fiber cap mushrooms of the genus Inocybe produce this substance, but use completely different enzymes and reaction sequences for this process. The results are published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

"This concerns the biosynthesis of a molecule that has a very long history with humans," explains Prof. Dirk Hoffmeister, head of the research group Pharmaceutical Microbiology at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI).

"We are referring to psilocybin, a substance found in so-called 'magic mushrooms,' which our body converts into psilocin-a compound that can profoundly alter consciousness. However, psilocybin not only triggers psychedelic experiences, but is also considered a promising active compound in the treatment of therapy-resistant depression," says Hoffmeister.

The study, which was conducted within the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse," shows for the first time that fungi have developed the ability to produce psilocybin at least twice independently of each other. While Psilocybe species use a known enzyme toolkit for this purpose, fiber cap mushrooms employ a completely different biochemical arsenal-and yet arrive at the same molecule.

This finding is considered an example of convergent evolution: Different species have independently developed a similar trait, but the magic mushrooms have gone their own way in doing so.

Tim Schafer, lead author of the study and doctoral researcher in Hoffmeister's team, explains, "It was like looking at two different workshops, but both ultimately delivering the same product. In the fiber caps, we found a unique set of enzymes that have nothing to do with those found in Psilocybe mushrooms. Nevertheless, they all catalyze the steps necessary to form psilocybin."

The researchers analyzed the enzymes in the laboratory. Protein models created by Innsbruck chemist Bernhard Rupp confirmed that the sequence of reactions differs significantly from that known in Psilocybe.

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