TRITERPENOID STEROIDAL ALKALOIDS
It is poisonous, containing two triterpenoid alkaloids Fasciculol E and Fasciculol F, both named after the scientific name for Sulphur Tuft itself. These two fasciculols differ from one another only by the position of the nitrogen-containing chain on the left, which is similar to an N-acyl amino acid. The damage to the liver resembles that due due Amatoxin poisoning. Fasciculol F is also found in another similar mushroom, Brick Tuft Hypholoma lateritium (aka Hypholoma sublateritium aka Naematoloma sublateritium) which is brick-red within (not visible from the outside).
Fascucilols are allelochemicals, which are able to suppress the growth of surrounding plants, a ploy the mushroom uses to its advantage. Several mushroom species produce differing non-proteinogenic amino acids (NPAAs) such as the branched chain on the left, or other NPAAs such as Azetidine-2-carboxylic Acid, 2-amino-5-chloro-4-pentenoic Acid and 2-amino-3-cyclopropyl-butazoic Acid .
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