Subject: Glow-in-the-dark Fungi

From: Gregory Johnson <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 07 Oct 1996 18:19:39 -0700

For a university essay I would like to find out about some glow in the
dark fungi, to help get me started.
Why do some fungi glow?
How do they achieve this?
Thanks for the help. Would it be possible to email me?

 Greg J

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From: [email-masked] (David N. Gaines)
Date: 10 Oct 1996 14:19:08 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, 
[email-masked] says...
>Thanks for the help. Would it be possible to email me?

For starters, you might do a computer search in BIOSIS (if your 
university is any good it will have this on line or on CD's) and look up 
the mushrooms Ompalotus olearius and Omphalotus olivascens.  This should 
list scientific publications concerning these mushrooms all the way back 
to 1970.  Any earlier publications would be found by searching the more 
recent pubs for older references, or paging through BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS 
year by year.  

David

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From: Tom McCloud <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 1996 15:18:32 -0400

Omphalotus illudens (O. olearis) has the common name 'jack 'o lantern'
fungus because it reportedly glows in the dark.   Several years ago I
was interested in the fungus because of its toxic constituent,
illudin-S, and had a CA computer literature search done. There were 15
hits.  I have read nearly all of these and there is no mention of
bioluminescence, or the mechanism through which luminescence might be
achieved in this fungus.   If someone knows of a reference to the
mechanism by which light is produced in O. illudens basidiocarps I would
be interested in learning of it.  Thanks.   Tom McCloud  Frederick
Cancer Research  Frederick, MD