Death Cap Mushroom

The death cap mushroom is a fungi that produces a lethal toxin known as alpha amanitin (Hudon-Miller, 2012). This toxin inhibits the activities of RNA polymerase III, the enzyme that catalyzes the polymerization of mRNA (Santi et al., 2012). mRNA polymerization is an essential precursor in protein synthesis. According to Wolf (2000), the central dogma of biology states that genetic information contained in DNA, is passed to mRNA through transcription, and then through translation that information is used to synthesis protein. Without polymerization of mRNA, transcription of genetic information from DNA to mRNA is also inhibited, and without mRNA genetic information that is stored in the DNA cannot be translated for synthesis protein from amino
acid. Therefore, when alpha amanitin inhibits the activities of RNA polymerase III, it is essentially inhibiting protein synthesis. Proteins are not only important as the building blocks of cells, and life in general, but they are also important in cellular metabolism. If, therefore, the process of protein synthesis is inhibited, metabolic functions of a cell can be seriously affected. When alpha amanitin found in the death cap mushroom is ingested, it therefore inhibits cell metabolism by limiting synthesis of proteins such as enzymes which plays a key role in the overall cell metabolism. When cellular metabolism is inhibited cells may stop functioning thereby causing organ failure.