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Psychedelics: New Frontiers in Alternative Medicine | vol. 5 no. 5 cannabissciencetech.com 20 feature / lab & facilities U NTIL RECENTLY, THE only Psilocybe cubensis ge- nome in existence was in- complete. The new assem- bly boasts a completeness score of over 97.6% and is 75 times more contigu- ous than the prior genomes. The mat- ing loci have been identified and we have a nice variation map of the genes involved in psilocybin production. This is an important step forward in under- standing how to breed these organisms and synthesize the psilocybin and oth- er tryptamines, which appear to be ef- ficacious in the treatment for a range of notoriously difficult to treat condi- tions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, the compound has such prom- ise that the Food and Drug Adminis- tration (FDA) is considering approv- al of various therapies and treatments based on the drug. Hundreds of mushroom species make psilocybin, but it is vital to genetical- ly identify them. Many other mush- rooms look like Psilocybe cubensis, but are lethal to humans. Understand- ing these different species at the ge- netic level is necessary to furthering research and keeping patients and cli- nicians alike safe. And now, because of this new reference sequence, that is en- tirely possible. Medicinal Genomics has already begun tr ying to understand the dif- ferent psilocybin-producing mush- rooms. The team recently published a paper (1), now under peer-review, in which they sequenced 81 addition- al mushroom spore samples over five species: Psilocybe tampanensis, Psilocy- be cubensis, Psilocybe azurescens, Psil- ocybe galindoi, and Psilocybe mexicana. The paper has found alternative psilo- cybin synthase pathways and demon- strates the value of high-quality. The company has also launched Psilocyd- ia (2), the largest digital repositor y of psychoactive mushroom genomes. In the process of sequencing 81 dif- ferent spore samples, psilocybe mi- crobiomes became apparent. These bacterial passengers may assist in un- derstanding the common contami- nants that plague mushroom growth. Bacteria replicate or double ever y 20 to 30 minutes, but fungi often require 2–3 hours to double. Any bacterial contamination in a fungal growth can wreak havoc and overtake the growth. This requires attention to sterile tech- nique during fungal growth and active screening of bacterial contaminants that might co-inhabit a spore sample. To address the problem, Medicinal Genomics is developing a new multi- plex quantitative polymerase chain re- action (qPCR) assay that targets 16S ribosomal RNA as well as two genes in the Psilocybin synthesis pathway unique to Psilocybe cubensis (P. cuben- sis). As a result, the assay will ensure the elimination of potential bacterial contaminants that might impact yield or growth. It will also confirm prop- er fungal growth because the primers are known to not amplify other toxic mushrooms that might be mistaken for P. cubensis. References (1) https://f1000research.com/articles/10-281/v2. (2) https://www.psilocydia.net/. About the Author FRANK PRISCARO is with Medicinal Genomics. Direct correspondence to: frank.priscaro@ medicinalgenomics.com Kevin McKernan, Medicinal Genomics Chief Science Officer, is the principal author of a new peer-reviewed paper (1) detailing the assembly of a highly contiguous dra reference genome for the Psilocybe cubensis mushroom. Additional contributors include Liam T. Kane, Seth Crawford, Chen-Shan Chin, Aaron Trippe, and Stephen McLaughlin. A Highly Contiguous Draft Reference Genome for the Psilocybe Cubensis Mushroom Is Now Available B Y F R A N K P R I S C A R O