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Strophariaceae
mycologist



Registered: 02/02/04
Posts: 109
Loc: Marvelous Marin County, C...
Last seen: 7 years, 3 months
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Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk
#23524081 - 08/09/16 06:10 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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The academic mycologists are having their annual meeting, over at the Clark Kerr campus in Berkeley. Lots of interesting topics; program, abstracts, etc here:
http://ipmb.berkeley.edu/events/msa-2016
Map of Clark Kerr Campus here:
http://www.iaeng.org/WCECS2010/schedule/map_closeup.jpg
Some interesting talks, but the highlight for me will be this one tomorrow (Tuesday, 8/9):
C14.2 |(Clark Kerr Room 204) 1:45PM– Jason Slot – Horizontal transfer of a psilocybin gene cluster among divergent lineages of Agaricales
Abstract:
Psilocybin occurs in several unrelated lineages of Agaricales (Pluteus, Conocybe, Inocybe, Gymnopilus, Panaeolus, Psilocybe) in hallucinogenic (“magic”) mushrooms with ecological roles varying from woodand dung- decomposition to ectomycorrhizae. Despite recent advances in the therapeutic potential of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, an understanding of their biology and evolution has lagged behind. A pathway for psilocybin (O-phosphoryl-4-hydroxy-N,N dimethyl tryptamine) biosynthesis was inferred in the 1960s, but no genetic mechanism for its production has since been identified. To understand the genetic and evolutionary underpinnings of psilocybin synthesis among divergent mushroom clades, we sequenced the genomes of three distantly related psilocybin-containing species, Psilocybe cyanescens, Panaeolus cyanescens, and Gymnopilus luteofolius. Parallel searches for physical clusters of genes that are restricted to psilocybin producing taxa, and clusters of genes with psilocybin-related metabolic functions converged upon a five-gene cluster that putatively encodes the transformation of tryptophan to psilocybin and its transport. To test this functional hypothesis, we heterologously expressed a decarboxylase and a phosphotransferase from the cluster and assayed chemical transformations in vitro. Using ultra performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, we inferred they have specific activity on tryptophan and its derivatives. Additional gene sequences from other psilocybin-containing species obtained by degenerate PCR were used in the phylogenetic reconstruction of the cluster’s origin and distribution. These analyses suggest a psilocybin cluster origin in Agaricales by horizontal transfer of multiple genes from Atheliales, and a horizontal cluster transfer from dung-inhabiting Psilocybe to Panaeolus. The patterns of dispersal of this cluster may reflect at least one role for psilocybin as a defense against mycophagous invertebrates.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,276
Last seen: 3 hours, 15 minutes
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: Strophariaceae] 1
#23928207 - 12/15/16 01:40 AM (7 years, 1 month ago) |
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That is really cool, looks like the various genera that produce psilocybin moved this gene from one genus to another using horizontal gene transfer.
I wonder how that happened?
They must have sequenced the full genome of several psilocybin containing species from unrelated genera and found that the genes which code for psilocybin are too similar to have evolved independently.
What was the gene tree like? Did you get a picture of it?
How can someone make a gene tree as opposed to a phylogenetic tree?
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catnip40
xฬ็


Registered: 03/09/12
Posts: 703
Last seen: 8 days, 20 hours
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#23928419 - 12/15/16 05:53 AM (7 years, 1 month ago) |
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very interesting
thanks for sharing!
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multiporpoise
Stranger


Registered: 08/15/15
Posts: 226
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: catnip40]
#23930754 - 12/15/16 07:54 PM (7 years, 1 month ago) |
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Wow, that's really interesting. Can someone with more knowledge go into more detail about how horizontal gene transfer occurs within fungi? Is it transmitted through a bacteria/virus or through direct mycelial contact?
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WhyDidiDoThis
Bay Area Mushroom Collector


Registered: 11/26/14
Posts: 3,338
Last seen: 6 years, 1 month
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: multiporpoise]
#23931217 - 12/15/16 11:12 PM (7 years, 1 month ago) |
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neither i believe. Its in its genetic programming.
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Adden

Registered: 06/04/03
Posts: 39,201
Loc:
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: WhyDidiDoThis]
#23982570 - 01/04/17 09:33 PM (7 years, 26 days ago) |
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Pulled this from my journal as I assume people will stumble across this in the search engine when doing cubes indoors.
Nice post thanks OP.
When mycelium colonizes and forms tissue the cells do something called anastomosis, that is they anchor themselves to adjacent cells via tube like structures, at this point something called Horizontal Gene Transfer can occur...what this means is that even in multistrain grows, genetics or (strains) narrow themselves down so that by the time fruiting happens there are very few fruiting strains, or at least the multiple strains therein have genetics in common with the other strains. Fruits in MS grows will often times still have similar genetics across the grow.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,276
Last seen: 3 hours, 15 minutes
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: Adden]
#24834007 - 12/08/17 02:06 PM (6 years, 1 month ago) |
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The full paper that this talk was based on was recently published, and can be found here.
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breeg89
i'll tell ya hwhat

Registered: 05/04/11
Posts: 3,120
Loc: mass
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#24834070 - 12/08/17 02:41 PM (6 years, 1 month ago) |
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Very cool. I wonder if psilocybin/psilocin have antibacterial properties. Indole and its derivatives are known to mediate inter-kingodom signaling processes between plants, fungi, bacteria, etc. I recall doing a quick literature search on the antibacterial properties of psilocybin, but came up empty.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,276
Last seen: 3 hours, 15 minutes
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: breeg89]
#24834371 - 12/08/17 05:06 PM (6 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
breeg89 said: Very cool. I wonder if psilocybin/psilocin have antibacterial properties. Indole and its derivatives are known to mediate inter-kingodom signaling processes between plants, fungi, bacteria, etc. I recall doing a quick literature search on the antibacterial properties of psilocybin, but came up empty.
You could check with http://www.the-odin.com/the-iliad-project-kit-find-new-antibiotics-at-home/
Or a homebrew version of the same....
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breeg89
i'll tell ya hwhat

Registered: 05/04/11
Posts: 3,120
Loc: mass
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Re: Mycological Society of America Meeting in Berkeley - Interesting Talk [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#24834420 - 12/08/17 05:26 PM (6 years, 1 month ago) |
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Thanks Alan. No problem with the homebrewing. I've been meaning to test that hypothesis.
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