Complete biosynthesis of psychedelic tryptamines from three kingdoms in plants

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Authors: Paula Berman, Janka Hédi Hófer, Herschel Mehlman, Efrat Almekias-Siegl, Olga Khersonsky, Younghui Dong, Uwe Heinig, Liron Sulimani, Let Kho Hao, Shahar Cohen, Yoav Peleg, Sagit Meir
+4 more Ilana Rogachev, David Meiri, Sarel J. Fleishman, Asaph Aharoni
Cited by: 2
References: 66

Abstract

-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) biosynthetic pathway in hallucinogenic plant species traditionally used in shamanic rituals for spiritual healing. Leveraging the similarities in their chemical structures, we reconstructed in one plant assay the full biosynthetic pathways of five renowned natural psychedelics; psilocin and psilocybin found in mushrooms, DMT from plants, and bufotenin and 5-methoxy-DMT secreted by the Sonoran Desert toad. We further engineered halogenated analogs of these molecules, which do not naturally occur in plants and exhibit prospective therapeutic potential for psychiatric conditions. Blending catalytic functions across the tree of life, coupled with metabolic engineering guided by rational protein design of mutant enzymes, enabled substantially more efficient in planta production of the indolethylamine components. This work establishes a versatile platform for concurrent biosynthesis and diversification of psychoactive indolethylamines, paving the way for their production in plants.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Psychedelics and Drug Studies Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Alkaloids: synthesis and pharmacology

Publication details

Journal / source
Science Advances
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Volume
12
Issue
14
Pages
eaeb3034–eaeb3034
Publication date
1 April 2026
Language
EN