Welcome to The Spore Works

Over the past decade, the increasing accessibility of DNA analysis tools has had a seismic effect on the phylogenetic tree of fungal species. Many species have been dissolved, moved, discovered and consolidated based solely on the sequence of nucleotides on a few genes on the periphery of their genome. A great example of the limits of microscopy in identifying fungal species lies in the story of a sample collected in Atlanta, GA in the 1990’s, which was identified as the then recently described Psilocybe atlantis. On further microscopic examination, it was found to be closer to Psilocybe galindoi, a species from the mountains of Mexico. Thus it stayed until DNA analysis revealed that the collection represented a population of the species Psilocybe tampanensis, before then only described from a single collection in the state of Florida. Subsequently, P. atlantis was destroyed as a species, and P. galindoi was absorbed into P. mexicana. 

This saga represents the sample we currently offer known as ATL#7. Along with comparison tools like MycoMap and NCBI BLAST, on-demand Sanger sequencing services such as Genewiz have ensured that a science that was once relegated to academics in universities is now available to anyone with a rudimentary DNA extraction lab and PCR thermocycler. For under $500, and a basic knowledge of sterile technique, anyone can extract fungal DNA for professional analysis.While deep sequencing of an entire genome is possible with the right tools, and there are reasons to dive this far into the genetic maze of a fungal species, there are a handful of specific genes that are generally sequenced in order to tease apart species. The most commonly sequenced gene in fungi is called ITS - the Internal Transcribed Spacer gene, which is a specific section of DNA in the fungal genome that is highly variable, even among very closely related species.The process for identifying a species based on ITS goes like this:

1. Clean mycelium or fruit body is ground in a lysis solution,
2. Heated on a heat block,
3. Centrifuged and decanted,
4. Mixed with ITS primers and Taq polymerase,
5. Thermocycled (PCR), and
6. Sanger sequenced to determine order of nucleotides.

What you end up with is a large enough amount of the ITS region of DNA in the sample in order to get a clear and reproducible sequence. These samples can be either sequenced at home using a nanopore sequencer, or sent in to one of several on-demand sequencing companies for Sanger sequencing.New and exciting species are being discovered every day, and extracting DNA for sequencing is easy and fun! There are about 14,000 species of mushrooms known to science, and around 150,000 species of fungi described, while it is estimated that there are as many as 11,000,000 species of fungi living on Earth. Considering these numbers, the likelihood that you will encounter an undescribed species in your daily life is nearly a certainty. With just a few tools, and a little practice, you could introduce the world to an organism that has never before been described by science.Here are a few DNA sequences of the samples we offer here at Sporeworks:

Psilocybe azurescens:

GTTGTAGCTGGTCCTCTCGGGGGCATGTGCTCGCCTGTCATCTTTATATCTCCACCTGTGCACCTTTTGTAGACGTTGAAACTGGATAGGAGAGGGACTTGTCCTTCAAGTTAAAGGTTTTTCGGCGCTCTACGTTTTCATATACCCCAAAGAATGTAACAGAATGTATCTTATGGCTTTATGCCTATAAACTATATACAACTTTCAGCAACGGATCTCTTGGCTCTCGCATCGATGAAGAACGCAGCGAAATGCGATAAGTAATGTGAATTGCAGAATTCAGTGAATCATCGAATCTTTGAACGCACCTTGCGCTCCTTGGTATTCCGAGGAGCATGCCTGTTTGAGTGTCATTAAATTCTCAACCTTACCAGCTTTTGTTAGCTTGTGTAATGGCTTGGACTTGGGGGTCTTTTGCCGGCTTCTCTCGAGATGTCAGCTCCCCTTAAATGCATTAGCCGGCTGCCCGCTGTGGACCGTCTATTGGTGTGATAATTATCTACGCCGTGGACGTCTGCTCTCAATGGGTTGAAGCTGCTTCTAACCGTCCGTTCATTCGGACAGCACATAATGACAATTTGACCTCAAATCAGGTAGGACTACCCGCTGAACTTAAGCATATCAATAA

Psilocybe tampanensis ATL#7:

TTGACTTGGTTGTAGCTGGTCCTCTAGGGGACATGTGCTCGCCTTGTCATCTTTATCTATCCACCTGTGAACCTTTTGTAGACTTGGAACTAGTGAATGGGAGAGCATGCTCTCTTTGAAGCTATACCAGGCCTATGTTTTCATATACCCCAAAGAATGTAACAGAATGTATTGTATGGCCTTGTGCCTATAAATCATATACAACTTTCAGCAACGGATCTCTTGGCTCTCGCATCGATGAAGAACGCAGCGAAATGCGATAAGTAATGTGAATTGCAGAATTCAGTGAATCATCGAATCTTTGAACGCACCTTGCGCTCCTTGGTATTCCGAGGAGCATGCCTGTTTGAGTGTCATTAAATTCTCAACCTTACCAGCTTTTGCTGATAATGGCTTGGATGTGGGGGTTTCATTTGCTGGCTTCTGTCGGCTCCCCTCAAATGCATTAGCTGGTACCCCGCGCGGAGCCGTCTATTAGTGTGATAATTATCTACGCTGTGGACATCTGCATCAATGGGATTGTACTGCTTCTAACCGTCCATTTACTGGACAATACAATGACAATTTGACCTCAAATCAGGTAGGACTACCCGCTGAACTTAAGC

Psilocybe subtropicalis:

AGCTGGTCCTCTCGGGGGCATGTGCTCGCTGTGTCATCTTTATCTATCCACCTGTGCACCTTTTGTAGACTTGGGACTAGTGAACGGGAGAGCTTGCTCTCCTAGAAGCTACACCAGGCCTATGTTTTCATATACCCCAAAGAATGTAACAGAATGTATTGTATGGCCTTGTGCCTATAAATCATATACAACTTTCAGCAACGGATCTCTTGGCTCTCGCATCGATGAAGAACGCAGCGAAATGCGATAAGTAATGTGAATTGCAGAATTCAGTGAATCATCGAATCTTTGAACGCACCTTGCGCTCCTTGGTATTCCGAGGAGCATGCCTGTTTGAGTGTCATTAAATTCTCAACCTTACCAGCTTTTGCTGATAATGGCTTGGATGTGGGGGTCTTTTGCTGGCTCTAGTCGGCTCCCCTCAAATGTATTAGCCGGTGCCCCGCGCAGAGCCGTCTATTGGTGTGATAATTATCTACGCCGTGGATGTCTGCATTAATGGGATTGTACTGCTTCTAACCGTCCTTTCATGGACAACTTAATGACAATTTGACCTCAAATCAGGTAGGACTACCCGCTGAACTTAAGCATA

Psilocybe aff. natalensis:

CGTGGTTGTAGCTGGCCCTCTCGGGGGCATGTGCTCGCCCGTCATCTTTATATTTCCACCTGTGCACTTTTTGTAGATCATTGTTTTTGGAAGTTGGATTGAAGTCAGAGAGTAATCTCTGATGAATTGAAGGCTTTCTCAATGGTGGTCTACGTTTTCATATACTCCAATGAATGTAACAGAATGTATCTATATGGCCTTGTGCCTATAAAACAATATACAACTTTCAGCAACGGATCTCTTGGCTCTCGCATCGATGAAGAACGCAGCGAAATGCGATAAGTAATGTGAATTGCAGAATTCAGTGAATCATCGAATCTTTGAACGCACCTTGCGCTCCTTGGTATTCCGAGGAGCATGCCTGTTTGAGTGTCATTAAATTCTCAACCTTACCAGCTTTTGTTAGCTTGTGTAATGGCTTGGACTTGGGGGTTTATTTTGCCGGCTTCTTACGAAGTCAGCTCCCCTTAAATGCATTAGCCGGCTGCCCGCTGTGGACCGTCTATTGGTGTGATAATTATCTACGCCGTGGATGTCTGCTATTAATGGGTTGAAGCTGCTTCAAACCGTCTGTTTACTCAGACAATTAATGACAATTTGACCTCAAATCAGGTAGGACTACCCGCTGAACTTAAGCATA

Panaeolus bisporus:

TGATTTGAGGTCAATGGTTCAAGTTGTCCCAATAACAGGACAGTTAGAAGCAGGGCAAACACCTTTTTACAGCAATCCTTAAACCCACGGCGTAGATAATTATCACACCAATAGATAGGTTTGCGCGGGGCACCCACTAATTCATTTGAGAGGAGCAGACTTTTGACAGCCTGCAGAAAACCTCCACATCCAAGCCATCATCACAAAAGTGATGAGGTTGAGAATTTAATGACACTCAAACAGGCATGCTCGTCGGAATACCAACGAGCGCAAGGTGCGTTCAAAGATTCGATGATTCACTGAATTCTGCAATTCACATTACTTATCGCATTTCGCTGCGTTCTTCATCGATGCGAGAGCCAAGAGATCCGTTGCTGAAAGTTGTATATAGTTTATAGGCTAATGCCCATTGATTCGTTCTGTTACTTTCTATAGTGTATGTGTAAAAATACATAGGACCTGGGAATGAATGAAGCCGTTCAGAGAGTTACCTCCATTACAAGACTTCCCCCAGACCTACAGTGTGTGCACAGGTGGATAAACAAAAAAGGCAGATGCGTGCACAAAATTCCCCCGAGAGGGACAGCAACAGCTTCTACCTAGTTTATTCGATAATGATCCTTCCGCAGGTTCACCCTACGGA

Psilocybe subtropicalis (P. semperviva)

Happy Mushrooming!

-Sporeworks