Current biology : CB

Hidden cultivation during domestication reduced genetic diversity in magic mushrooms compared to wild populations

Updated

Abstract

Genomic analysis of 38 isolates of Psilocybe cubensis from Australia reveals high genetic diversity compared to domesticated cultivars.

  • The Australian population of P. cubensis is naturalized and has recovered its effective population size after an introduction bottleneck.
  • In contrast, domesticated cultivars show low effective population sizes and evidence of inbreeding, leading to reduced genetic diversity.
  • Most cultivars are derived from related populations, indicating a lack of genetic variation.
  • Alleles in the psilocybin gene cluster are nearly identical across most cultivars, with low diversity in the coding sequences.
  • Unique allelic diversity found in the Australian isolates and some cultivars may influence the biosynthesis of psilocybin and its analogs.

Simplified

Full Text

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Funding

Competing interests

Declaration of interests A.R.M. and C.A. are owners of Funky Fungus, a company that grows magic mushrooms to produce medicinal psilocybin. K.M. is the founder of Medicinal Genomics.
PubMed

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