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. The reason the liver is affected more than other tissues is that as the toxin is absorbed in the digestive tract, it first travels to the liver.