ChemBioChem
April 1, 2026
Sebastian Schober, Lisa Dorfmann, Karl Walther et al.
Apart from the psychedelic psilocybin, the metabolite spectrum of Psilocybe "magic mushrooms" comprises sesquiterpenes, a class of natural products known to exhibit receptor-modulating bioactivities. However, the composition of the sesquiterpene profile has largely remained an open question. Here, we report the characterization of five Psilocybe cubensis sesquiterpene synthases, both in vitro...
ChemBioChem
May 3, 2025
Nick Zschoche, Markus Gressler, Stefan Bartram et al.
1 citation
Psilocybe “magic mushrooms” are best known for their indolethylamine psilocybin, yet they encode enzymes for a much more diverse arsenal of small and potentially bioactive molecules. Herein, four Psilocybe cubensis clade III sesquiterpene synthases, CubB‐CubE, whose genes are differently expressed in fruiting bodies compared to vegetative mycelium are reported. CubB‐CubE were functionally...
Chemistry - A European Journal
April 9, 2025
Tim Schäfer, Thomas Krüger, Jakob Worbs et al.
2 citations
Abstract Advanced clinical trials investigate the Psilocybe magic mushroom natural product psilocybin as a treatment against major depressive disorder. Currently, synthetic material is used to meet the demand for legitimate pharmaceutical purposes. Here, we report an in vitro approach to biocatalytically produce psilocybin on a solid‐phase matrix charged with five covalently bound biosynthetic...
ChemBioChem
August 24, 2023
Eike Schäfer, Stefan Bartram, Felix Trottmann et al.
7 citations
Abstract Psilocybe “magic mushrooms” are chemically well understood for their psychotropic tryptamines. However, the diversity of their other specialized metabolites, in particular terpenoids, has largely remained an open question. Yet, knowledge on the natural product background is critical to understand if other compounds modulate the psychotropic pharmacological effects. CubA, the single...
ChemBioChem
May 18, 2022
Sebastian Dörner, Kai Rogge, Janis Fricke et al.
43 citations
Abstract Psilocybe magic mushrooms are best known for their main natural product, psilocybin, and its dephosphorylated congener, the psychedelic metabolite psilocin. Beyond tryptamines, the secondary metabolome of these fungi is poorly understood. The genomes of five species ( P. azurescens , P. cubensis , P. cyanescens , P. mexicana , and P. serbica ) were browsed to understand more profoundly...
ChemBioChem
December 4, 2019
Richard Demmler, Janis Fricke, Sebastian Dörner et al.
31 citations
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...
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
November 14, 2019
Claudius Lenz, Jonas Wick, Daniel Braga et al.
56 citations
Abstract Upon injury, psychotropic psilocybin‐producing mushrooms instantly develop an intense blue color, the chemical basis and mode of formation of which has remained elusive. We report two enzymes from Psilocybe cubensis that carry out a two‐step cascade to prepare psilocybin for oxidative oligomerization that leads to blue products. The phosphatase PsiP removes the 4‐ O ‐phosphate group to...