Cactus Dreams: Revealing the Secrets of Mescaline Making - Weizmann Wonder Wander erklärt die biotechnologische Sicherung der Mescaline-Produktion

Mescaline-producing peyote and related cacti are at risk from increased interest in psychedelics, and Weizmann Institute researchers report a key step toward sustainable mescaline supply for drug development. The study reconstructs mescaline biosynthesis in peyote by sequencing the peyote genome, identifying which genes are expressed in the cactus tissue with the highest mescaline concentration, and using mass spectroscopy to pinpoint candidate molecules and enzyme genes. Researchers then test enzyme activity in different biological systems and assemble the full pathway. Starting from tyrosine, the pathway is shown to proceed through multiple steps involving several enzyme families and distinct biochemical reactions, with comparisons to the San Pedro cactus clarifying differences between the two species. The team also recreates most steps outside the cactus in a model tobacco plant, offering guidance for how intermediate compounds might need to be produced at higher levels in engineered plants or yeast. The work aims to preserve endangered peyote while enabling access to natural mescaline for permitted scientific and medical research.