The phallotoxins consist of at least seven compounds, all of which are bicyclic
heptapeptides (seven amino acids), isolated from the death cap mushroom ''(
Amanita phalloides
''Amanita phalloides'' (), commonly known as the death cap, is a deadly poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus '' Amanita''. Widely distributed across Europe, but now sprouting in other parts of the world, ''A. phalloid ...
)''. They differ from the closely related
amatoxin Amatoxin is the collective name of a subgroup of at least nine related toxic compounds found in three genera of poisonous mushrooms (''Amanita'', ''Galerina'' and '' Lepiota'') and one species (Conocybe filaris) of the genus '' Conocybe''. Amatoxins ...
s by being one residue smaller, both in the final product and the precursor protein.
Phalloidin
Phalloidin belongs to a class of toxins called phallotoxins, which are found in the death cap mushroom ''(Amanita phalloides)''. It is a rigid bicyclic heptapeptide that is lethal after a few days when injected into the bloodstream. The major sy ...
had been isolated in 1937 by
Feodor Lynen,
Heinrich Wieland's student and son-in-law, and Ulrich Wieland of the
University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: link=no, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of ...
. The remaining six are
prophalloin,
phalloin,
phallisin,
phallacidin,
phallacin and
phallisacin. Though highly toxic to liver cells, phallotoxins have since been found to have little contribution to the death cap's toxicity because they are not absorbed through the gut. Reports of phalloidin in the edible (and sought after)
Blusher (''Amanita rubescens'')
have not been confirmed by later researchers
[Hallen HE, Adams GC, Eicker A (2002) Amatoxins and phallotoxins in indigenous and introduced South African Amanita species. South African Journal of Botany 68:322-326.]
Chemical structures
Image:Skeletal formula of phalloidin.svg, Phalloidin
Image:prophalloin.png, Prophalloin
Image:phalloin.png, Phalloin
Image:phallisin.png, Phallisin
Image:phallacidin.png, Phallacidin
Image:phallacin.png, Phallacin
Image:phallisacin.png, Phallisacin
References
{{Poisonous Amanitas
Mycotoxins found in Basidiomycota
Tryptamines
Cyclic peptides