Open AccessMelanin and novel melanin precursors from Aeromonas media
Author(s) -
Gibson Lewis F,
George Anthony M
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1998.tb13327.x
Subject(s) - melanin , pigment , bacteria , chemistry , chromatophore , strain (injury) , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , anatomy , fishery , genetics
Many bacteria produce reddish brown to black pigments and some of these have been characterised. This report describes the isolation and characterisation of a diffusible brown melanin‐like pigment from the bacterium Aeromonas media . Physico‐chemical testing suggested that the pigment is a true melanin. New butanol‐soluble yellow, red and brown pigments were isolated from the A. media strain under reducing conditions during melanogenesis and these pigments were shown to be unstable precursors of the polymeric brown melanin product.