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In vitro Methylation Assay to Study Protein Arginine Methylation
Published on: October 5, 2014
Enzymatic Route toward 6-Methylated Baeocystin and Psilocybin
Janis Fricke1, Alexander Sherwood2, Robert Kargbo2
1Department Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the Hans Knöll Institute, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany.
None:
Psilocybin and its direct precursor baeocystin are indole alkaloids of psychotropic Psilocybe mushrooms. The pharmaceutical interest in psilocybin as a treatment option against depression and anxiety is currently being investigated in advanced clinical trials. Here, we report a biocatalytic route to synthesize 6-methylated psilocybin and baeocystin from 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-l-tryptophan, which was decarboxylated and phosphorylated by the Psilocybe cubensis biosynthesis enzymes PsiD and PsiK. N-Methylation was catalyzed by PsiM. We further present an in silico structural model of PsiM that revealed a well-conserved SAM-binding core along with peripheral nonconserved elements that likely govern substrate preferences.
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