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An endophytic fungus, Gibberella moniliformis from Lawsonia inermis L. produces lawsone, an orange-red pigment

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Abstract

Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1, 4-napthoquinone), also known as hennotannic acid, is an orange red dye used as a popular skin and hair colorant. The dye is produced in the leaves of Lawsonia inermis L, often referred to as the “henna” tree. In this study, we report the production of lawsone by an endophytic fungus, Gibberella moniliformis isolated from the leaf tissues of Lawsonia inermis. The fungus produced the orange-red dye in potato dextrose agar and broth, independent of the host tissue. Presence of lawsone was confirmed spectrometrically using HPLC and ESI–MS/MS analysis. The fragmentation pattern of lawsone was identical to both standard lawsone and that extracted from plant tissue. This is a first report of lawsone being produced by an endophytic fungus, independent of the host tissue. The study opens up interesting questions on the possible biosynthetic pathway through which lawsone is produced by the fungus.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by Department of Biotechnology (DBT/NER/Agri/24/2013) to RUS and SERB-DST Fast Track Grant (File No. SB/YS/LS-361/2013) to MKP. The authors acknowledge the help received from T. Pradeep, IIT Chennai for ESI–MS/MS analysis. The authors HS, PR and RS thank VIT University for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Physiology, School of Ecology and Conservation, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, 560065, India

    Hatnagar Sarang, Pijakala Rajani, Madhugiri Mallaiah Vasanthakumari & R. Uma Shaanker

  2. School of Bioscience and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, 632014, India

    Hatnagar Sarang, Pijakala Rajani & Ramamoorthy Siva

  3. DST Unit of Nanoscience and Thematic Unit of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India

    Patel Mohana Kumara

  4. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur, Bengaluru, 560064, India

    Gudasalamani Ravikanth & R. Uma Shaanker

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  1. Hatnagar Sarang
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  2. Pijakala Rajani
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Correspondence to R. Uma Shaanker.

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Sarang, H., Rajani, P., Vasanthakumari, M.M. et al. An endophytic fungus, Gibberella moniliformis from Lawsonia inermis L. produces lawsone, an orange-red pigment. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 110, 853–862 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-017-0858-y

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