Research and Medicine
The poisonous chemical compound illudin was isolated from Omphalotus illudens. Inside the cells of the body, it reacts with DNA and creates a type of DNA damage that blocks the transcription process. This block can only be relieved by a repair system called nucleotide excision repair. Damages in non-transcribed DNA areas are left unrepaired by the cell. This property was exploited by the company MGI Pharma to develop an illudin-derivative called Irofulven for use as an anti-cancer medicine. Its application is still in the experimental phase.
Read more about this topic: Omphalotus Olearius
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