Damn this is a good thread. Sorry if already posted but good stuff.
Full Paper -> Enzymatic Synthesis of Psilocybin
Abstract: Psilocybinis the psychotropictryptamine-derivednatural product of Psilocybe carpophores,the so-called“magicmushrooms”.Although its structure has been known for 60 years,the enzymatic basis of its biosynthesishas remain edobscure. We characterized four psilocybin biosynthesisenzymes,namelyi) PsiD,which represents class of fungall-tryptophan decarboxylases,ii) PsiK,which catalyzes the phospho transfer step,iii)the methyltransferase PsiM, catalyzing it erativeN-methyltransferas the terminal biosynthetic step,and iv) PsiH, amonooxygenase. Inacombined PsiD/PsiK/PsiM reaction, psilocybin was synthesized enzy-matically in a stepeconomic route from 4-hydroxy-l-trypto-phan. Given the renewed pharmaceutical interest in psilocybin, our results may lay the foundation for its biotechnological production
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Full Paper -> Monoamine Biosynthesis via a Noncanonical Calcium-Activatable Aromatic Amino Acid Decarboxylase in Psilocybin Mushroom

Aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylases (AAADs) are a phylogenetically diverse group of enzymes responsible for the decarboxylation of aromatic amino acid substrates into their corresponding aromatic arylalkylamines. AAADs have been extensively studied in mammals and plants as they catalyze the first step in the production of neurotransmitters and bioactive phytochemicals, respectively. Unlike mammals and plants, the hallucinogenic psilocybin mushroom Psilocybe cubensis reportedly employs an unrelated phosphatidylserine-decarboxylase-like enzyme to catalyze l-tryptophan decarboxylation, the first step in psilocybin biosynthesis. To explore the origin of this chemistry in psilocybin mushroom, we generated the first de novo transcriptomes of P. cubensis and investigated several putative l-tryptophan-decarboxylase-like enzymes. We report the biochemical characterization of a noncanonical AAAD from P. cubensis (PcncAAAD) that exhibits substrate permissiveness toward l-phenylalanine, l-tyrosine, and l-tryptophan, as well as chloro-tryptophan derivatives. The crystal structure of PcncAAAD revealed the presence of a unique C-terminal appendage domain featuring a novel double-β-barrel fold. This domain is required for PcncAAAD activity and regulates catalytic rate and thermal stability through calcium binding. PcncAAAD likely plays a role in psilocybin production in P. cubensis and offers a new tool for metabolic engineering of aromatic-amino-acid-derived natural products.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Full Paper -> Enzymatic route toward6-methylated baeocystin and psilocybin (2019)
Abstract Methylated magic. The biocatalytic in vitro route to psilocybin was interrogated for substrate flexibility. 6‐Methylated substrates were accepted by the P. cubensis enzymes PsiD, PsiK, and PsiM and produced 6‐methylbaeocystin and 6‐methylpsilocybin. An in silico model of the methyltransferase PsiM identified nonconserved structural elements that likely govern the specificity of the methylation step.

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Full Paper -> In vivo production of psilocybin in E. coli (2019)
Abstract Psilocybin, the prodrug of the psychoactive molecule psilocin, has demonstrated promising results in clinical trials for the treatment of addiction, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The development of a psilocybin production platform in a highly engineerable microbe could lead to rapid advances towards the bioproduction of psilocybin for use in ongoing clinical trials. Here, we present the development of a modular biosynthetic production platform in the model microbe, Escherichia coli. Efforts to optimize and improve pathway performance using multiple genetic optimization techniques were evaluated, resulting in a 32-fold improvement in psilocybin titer. Further enhancements to this genetically superior strain were achieved through fermentation optimization, ultimately resulting in a fed-batch fermentation study, with a production titer of 1.16 g/L of psilocybin. This is the highest psilocybin titer achieved to date from a recombinant organism and a significant step towards demonstrating the feasibility of industrial production of biologically-derived psilocybin.
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Full Paper -> Biosynthesis of bioactive natural products from Basidiomycota (2019)
Abstract The Basidiomycota, also called club fungi, comprise a diverse group of fungi. Basidiomycota are strongly related to ecosystem functioning along with human life. These fungi display a wide range of bioactivities, and some are known to produce of deadly toxins or hallucinogens. Some Basidiomycota have be used as medicinal mushrooms for thousands of years. Recently, the biosyntheses of several classes of natural products from Basidiomycota have been reported. Here, we review recent studies on the biosynthetic pathways and enzymes of bioactive natural products from Basidiomycota fungi, with a focus on terpenoids, alkaloids, ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), and polyketides.

Edited by murderlabz (12/05/19 11:22 PM)
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