Decoding psilocybin: “magical” enzymatic pathways…
Psilocybin is formed by fungi in complex biochemical processes from the amino acid L-tryptophan. The enzyme PsiM, a methyltransferase, plays an important role in this process. It catalyzes two methylation reactions in succession, the last two steps in the production of psilocybin.
…a team from the Medical University of Innsbruck led by crystallographer Bernhard Rupp and the Jena researchers investigated the enzyme PsiM both biochemically and using X-ray crystal structure analysis. This method allows proteins to be visualized down to the atomic level, whereby several stages of the reaction could be depicted in ultra-high resolution… the researchers were also able to identify… final step in the entire reaction chain for potential biotechnological production of the active ingredient: the conversion of the single-methylated intermediate baeocystin to the double-methylated psilocybin.
Original Article (Scitechdaily):
Decoding psilocybin: “Magical” enzymatic pathways to psychiatric breakthroughs
Artwork Fair Use: Jengod
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