Gene family encoding the major toxins of lethal Amanita mushrooms

Gene family encoding the major toxins of lethal Amanita mushrooms.

Amatoxins, the lethal constituents of poisonous mushrooms in the genus Amanita, are bicyclic octapeptides. Two genes in A. bisporigera, AMA1 and PHA1, directly encode alpha-amanitin, an amatoxin, and the related bicyclic heptapeptide phallacidin, a phallotoxin, indicating that these compounds are synthesized on ribosomes and not by nonribosomal peptide synthetases. alpha-Amanitin and phallacidi...

Gene family encoding the major toxins of lethal <i>Amanita</i> mushrooms

Ribosomal biosynthesis of the cyclic peptide toxins of Amanita mushrooms.

Some species of mushrooms in the genus Amanita are extremely poisonous and frequently fatal to mammals including humans and dogs. Their extreme toxicity is due to amatoxins such as alpha- and beta-amanitin. Amanita mushrooms also biosynthesize a chemically related group of toxins, the phallotoxins, such as phalloidin. The amatoxins and phallotoxins (collectively known as the Amanita toxins) are...

Antioxidant Properties of Amanita Phalloides Mushroom Toxins

Alpha amanitin and phalloidin are powerful hepatotoxins that belong to the main classes of toxins namely, amatoxins and phallotoxins, isolated from the deadly poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides. It is well known that disruptions of antioxidant enzyme defense that include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase lead to generation of reactive oxygen species, followed by in...

Analysis of the toxins of amanitin-containing mushrooms.

We have recently developed a method for the analysis of toxins in single specimens of the mush­ room Amanita phalloides (Fr.) Seer.1. Separation of the different toxins was achieved by column chro­ matography, on Sephadex LH20 in water, of a methanolic extract of fresh or dried mushrooms, followed by further purification on thinlayers of silica gel, spectrophotometric evaluation, and, final­ ly...