Could this 2,500-year-old giant mushroom cure cancer? | MNN

Researchers have just discovered that a giant mushroom discovered for the first time 25 years ago in a forest on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has become much larger and that the secret of its phenomenal growth may well heal the cancer, reports Phys.org.

Upon discovery, the mammoth mushroom, a specimen of Armillaria gallica (also called honey mushroom), weighed about 220,000 pounds, covering about 15 acres. When it was recently re-examined, the mushroom had exploded to over 850,000 pounds on 70 hectares. The researchers also believe that the specimen is much older than previously estimated – 2500 years, to be exact.

"I consider these estimates to be the lower limit," said James B. Anderson, professor emeritus of biology at the University of Toronto in Mississauga, who discovered the shroom. "The mushroom might actually be a lot older, but we think we have all the dimensions, which was not the case in 1992. [when it was first discovered.]"

An index for cancer research?

Anderson was curious to know how this mushroom could have survived so long. He took samples for comparison with a reference genome and examined how his cell mutations accumulated over time. What he found was remarkable. The mutation rate was so low that even the most frequent mutations "did not have much impact on the body's physical condition or appearance," he said. "What we think we are saying is that there must be a mechanism by which the fungus protects itself from mutations."

This adaptation is particularly interesting because it could offer a counterpoint to the growth of cancer cells.

Although researchers are still studying how this fungus has avoided harmful mutations, they think it might have a mechanism to locate mutations in areas where they do not cause a lot of damage. The next step will be to examine the DNA mechanisms inside this miraculous fungus, to compare their stability to what happens in cancer cells, which are extremely unstable.

"It could be an interesting point of comparison," said Anderson. "The cancer is so unstable, it is mutating at a high rate and is subject to genomic changes, while A. gallica is a very persistent organism with few mutations ".

A. gallica, like most mushrooms, produces fungi above the ground, but these growths on the surface represent only a fraction of what grows below. A large part of the body is composed of a network of underground tendrils called mycelium, which are looking for new sources of food. This is so that they can sometimes reach such gigantic heights. In fact, the largest known mushroom in the world, an Armillaria ostoyae discovered in Oregon, covers an area of ​​about 925 acres.

First, they gave us antibiotics; It would be remarkable if fungi also gave us the cure for cancer. We will simply have to wait and see what the researchers will discover next.

Could this 2,500-year-old giant mushroom cure cancer?

An Armillaria gallica fungus found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is growing rapidly and the secret of its phenomenal growth may well be curing cancer.