Scientists found that the magic behind so-called “magic mushrooms”—psilocybin, a psychedelic compound—has evolved at least twice in mushrooms, and in very different ways.
Researchers in Germany and Austria examined two different types of magic mushrooms. They showed that while both kinds make psilocybin, the biochemistry each relied on to produce the natural compound were entirely distinct. The findings suggest psilocybin may be an example of convergent evolution, in which two, unrelated forms of life nevertheless evolve to develop similar traits or features.
“Mushrooms have learned twice independently how to make the iconic magic mushroom natural product psilocybin,” the authors wrote in the paper, published last month in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Same, same, but different
The kind of magic mushrooms that people may be most familiar with belong to the genus Psilocybe; and indeed, plenty of species within this genus make psilocybin. But a few other species from different mushroom genera also produce the psychedelic ingredient. The researchers were especially interested in studying psilocybin-making mushrooms within the genus Inocybe. This genus is known for its mushrooms’ distinctive texture, which are commonly known as fiber cap mushrooms. Importantly, this genus is also known for its toxicity, with many of its more than 1,000 species known to produce muscarine, a poisonous compound that can cause various negative side effects and even cardiac arrest. In other words, please don’t try to eat these.
In a series of experiments, the researchers studied the chemical and genetic underpinnings of Psilocybe and Inocybe mushrooms that eventually give rise to psilocybin. And to their surprise, they found little in common between the two mushrooms. Inocybe mushrooms don’t seem to rely on any of the same enzymes to make psilocybin as Psilocybe mushrooms do, and the chain of chemical events that result in the creation of psilocybin are entirely distinct in both. The only thing they do seem to share in common is the use of one particular chemical in an intermediate step of the process.
“I never expected these two psilocybin pathways not to share any reaction,” study co-author Dirk Hoffmeister, a biochemist at Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany, told Science magazine.
More questions to answer
As is often the case in science, this sort of unexpected finding creates plenty more intriguing questions to answer.
Convergent evolution tends to happen when different lifeforms evolve similar traits in order to take advantage of a similar niche or environment. For example, bats, insects, and birds likely evolved wings for many of the same reasons as one another. But for these mushrooms, the picture is complicated by the fact they actually fill quite distinct niches. Psilocybe mushrooms feed off decaying organic material (and sometimes poop), whereas Inocybe mushrooms form symbiotic relationships with trees. Ultimately, we’re still not sure why any mushrooms make psilocybin at all, although one leading theory is that the compound has a protective effect, warding off unwelcome insects.
The researchers are hopeful their findings will motivate more scientists to dig deeper into these fungal mysteries.
“As Inocybe and Psilocybe mushrooms follow different lifestyles, our work may help ecologists identify the selection pressure and true reason why one of the most iconic natural products emerged and why it emerged independently,” they wrote in the study.
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