To their surprise, Walton and colleagues found mushrooms have the potential to synthesize many more cyclic peptides than previously known, potentially in the billions, through one molecular production platform. The researchers have already discovered three previously unknown cyclic peptides based on patterns in the newly discovered DNA sequence.
Walton can already picture using cyclic peptides' laser-like ability to penetrate human cells for medicinal uses, noting that only a few mushroom peptides are poisonous to people.
Science X Network. (2017). [Sequencing power image]. Science X. Available here.