[1][2][3] It is an indole-tetramic acid that serves as a toxin due to its ability to inhibit calcium-dependent ATPases found in the endoplasmic and sarcoplasmic reticulum.

[4] This inhibition disrupts the muscle contraction-relaxation cycle and the calcium gradient that is maintained for proper cellular activity in cells.

[2] Cyclopiazonic acid is known to contaminate multiple foods because the molds that produce them are able to grow on different agricultural products, including but not limited to grains, corn, peanuts, and cheese.

[10] Even if its toxicity in humans is rare, large doses of α-CPA have been seen to adversely affect animals such as mice, rats, chickens, pigs, dogs, and rabbits.

The severity of toxicity is dose-dependent, and exposure to α-CPA has led to hypokinesia, hypothermia, catalepsy, tremors, irregular respiration, ptosis, weight loss, and eventual death in mice.

Three enzymes are utilized in the biosynthesis of α-CPA: the polypeptide CpaS, dimethylallyltransferase (CpaD), and flavoprotein oxidocyclase (CpaO).

CpaD has high substrate specificity and will not catalyze prenylation in the presence of DMAPP's isomer isopentyl pyrophosphate (IPP) or the derivatives of cAATrp.

[2] The third enzyme, CpaO, then acts on β-CPA through a redox mechanism that allows for intramolecular cyclization to form α-CPA.

FAD oxidizes β-CPA in a two-electron process, subsequently allowing for ring closure and formation of α-CPA.