Elucidation of the mescaline biosynthetic pathway in peyote (Lophophora williamsii).
The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology November 1, 2023 Jacinta L Watkins, Qiushi Li, Sam Yeaman et al. 23 citations
Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is an entheogenic and medicinal cactus native to the Chihuahuan desert. The psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties of peyote are principally attributed to the phenethylamine derivative mescaline. Despite the isolation of mescaline from peyote over 120 years ago, the biosynthetic pathway in the plant has remained undiscovered. Here, we use a transcriptomics and...