The death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides, contains several dangerous substance

Question

The death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides, contains several dangerous

substances, including the lethal ?-amanitin. This toxin blocks RNA elongation in

consumers of the mushroom by binding to eukaryotic RNA polymerase II with very

high affinity; it is deadly in concentrations as low as 10-8

M.

a) The initial reaction to ingestion of the mushroom is gastrointestinal distress

(caused by some of the toxins). These symptoms disappear, but about 48

hours later, the mushroom eater dies, usually from liver dysfunction.

Speculate on why it takes this long for ?-amanitin to kill.

b) ?-amanitin has no effect on RNA pol II

Explanation / Answer

The

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