Abstract
The poisonous mushroom Hypholoma fasciculare (Japanese name: Nigakuritake), belonging to the family Strophariaceae (Basidiomycota, Agaricales), produces fasciculol E as a major toxic agent Fasciculol E has also been reported from a few related species, but the range of species producing it is not clear. In the present study, the content of fasciculol E in fruiting bodies of H. fasciculare and related species in the family Strophariaceae was analyzed by UPLC/MS/MS. The results revealed that all species of Hypholoma examined in this study stably produce fasciculol E. Moreover, a very small amount of the toxin was detected from several species belonging to the genera Pholiota and Stropharia. Of these, some species are known as edible mushrooms, but the amount contained in their fruiting bodies was much lower than the LD50 values of fasciculol E. Phylogenetic analysis using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequences suggests that the productivity of fasciculol E is correlated with phylogenetic distance from H. fasciculare within the family Strophariaceae.
