The mitogenomic landscape of Banisteriopsis caapi (Malpighiaceae), the sacred liana used for ayahuasca preparation.
Edisson Chavarro-Mesa, João Victor Dos Anjos Almeida, Saura R Silva, Simone Santos Lopes, Jose Beethoven Figueiredo Barbosa, Danilo Oliveira, Maria Alice Corrêa, Ana Paula Moraes, Vitor F O Miranda, Francisco Prosdocimi, Alessandro M Varani
Genetics and molecular biology 2024 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2023-0301 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Genome sequencing and assembly Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Banisteriopsis caapi (Mariri) plant sample |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Genetics Amazonian plants Ethnobotany Indigenous medicine |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | The complete mitochondrial genome of B. caapi is a circular 503,502 bp structure with atypical gene content and evidence of organellar gene transfer and mitogenome isomerization. |
Abstract
The sacred ayahuasca brew, utilized by indigenous communities in the Amazon and syncretic religious groups in Brazil, primarily consists of a decoction of two plants: (i) the Amazonian liana known as Mariri or Jagube (Banisteriopsis caapi), and (ii) the shrub referred as Chacrona or Rainha (Psychotria viridis). While Chacrona leaves are rich in N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a potent psychedelic, the macerated vine of Mariri provides beta-carboline alkaloids acting as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, preventing DMT's degradation. This study sequenced, assembled, and analyzed the complete genome of B. caapi's mitochondrion, yielding a circular structure spanning 503,502 bp. Although the mtDNA encompasses most plant mitochondrial genes, it lacks some ribosomal genes, presents some atypical genes, and contains plastid pseudogenes, suggesting gene transfer between organelles. The presence of a 7-Kb repetitive segment containing copies of the rrnL and trnfM genes suggests mitogenome isomerization, supporting the hypothesis of dynamic mitogenome maintenance in plants. Phylogenetics and phylogenomics across 24 Malpighiales confirms the sample's placement in the "Tucunacá" ethnovariety, aligning with morphological identification. This study spearheads efforts to decode the genome of this esteemed Malpighiaceae.