Amanita phalloides

From BIOL 2P96 Jan 2013 Group 08

The death cap, Amanita phalloides, is a highly toxic fungus, ingestion of which can cause severe liver and kidney damage eventually resulting in death if left untreated. ^[1] This is due to the high content of the α- and β-amanitin peptides. ^[2]

Mode of Biological Action

Both α- and β-amanitin function as RNA polymerase II inhibitors, binding to the active site pocket and preventing the translation of DNA into RNA.^[3] Thus protein synthesis is stalled, eventually resulting in cell death.