[Using baker’s yeast] to produce ‘magic mushroom’ active ingredient[s]
Researchers… approach to producing psilocybin but used baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, rather than bacteria. The yeast expresses a key enzyme involved in the same magic mushroom production pathway of psilocybin, which doesn’t involve the need for expensive chemicals.
During their production of psilocybin and psilocin through synthetic biology, the yeast also produced intermediate products – molecules one or more steps away from the final product of interest – such as aeruginascin and N-acetyl-4-hydroxytryptamine. Both have been associated with positive effects in treating depression, as well as anti-microbial and sedative effects. Previously, researchers affiliated with academic groups or biotech companies managed to either synthesize psilocybin or produced it with genetically modified E. coli bacteria. However, both methods involved using 4-hydroxyindole, an expensive chemical feedstock…
Original Article (Zmescience):
Scientists use yeast to produce ‘magic mushroom’ active ingredient
Artwork Fair Use: JoJan