The "dark magic mushroom" co-produces amatoxins and psilocybin.

Abstract

The most famous chemicals produced by mushrooms are the psychedelic compound psilocybin from "magic mushrooms" and amatoxins from deadly poisonous mushrooms.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 These compounds are known to occur in several distantly related groups of fungi but have never been shown to co-occur within a single species. Here, we show that the "dark magic mushroom" Galerina indica produces both psilocybin and amatoxins. Mass spectrometry revealed psilocybin and amatoxins in mushroom tissues, and genomic analyses identified corresponding biosynthetic genes. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that G. indica acquired psilocybin biosynthesis via horizontal gene transfer after amatoxin biosynthesis was already established. These findings reveal how horizontal gene transfer can combine powerful bioactive systems in a single species, potentially altering the ecological roles of both compound classes and the evolutionary fitness of the species.10,11.

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