In a mushroom, a reaction in a single-step biosynthetic pathway that converts a metabolite into a particularly vicious poison (metabolite ↔ poison) is energetically highly unfavorable. The reaction is normally driven by ATP hydrolysis. Assume that a mutation in the enzyme that catalyzes the reaction prevents it from utilizing ATP, but still allows it to catalyze the reaction.

A. Do you suppose it might be safe for you to eat a mushroom that bears this mutation? Base your answer on an estimation of how much less poison the mutant mushroom would produce, assuming the reaction is in equilibrium and most of the energy stored in ATP is used to drive the unfavorable reaction in nonmutant mushrooms.

B. Would your answer be different for another mutant mushroom whose enzyme couples the reaction to ATP hydrolysis but works 100 times more slowly?