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Characterization of melanin isolated from a dark septate endophyte (DSE), Exophiala pisciphila

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Abstract

Melanin produced by a dark septate endophyte, Exophiala pisciphila, was isolated and purified. The solubility properties, Ultraviolet–visible and Fourier transform infrared spectra of the purified E. pisciphila melanin were similar to those of typical melanin. Inhibition of melanin production was observed when colonies exposed to tricyclazole (1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin inhibitor), but not to kojic acid (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine melanin inhibitor). Thus the E. pisciphila melanin was a member of DHN melanin family. In addition, the antioxidant activities of E. pisciphila melanin were evaluated in vitro by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical-scavenging assay. E. pisciphila melanin exhibited a strong antioxidant activity. Addition of 50–350 mg L−1 Cd(II) to the medium increased the melanin production in E. pisciphila.

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Abbreviations

DSE:

Dark septate endophyte

UV:

Ultraviolet–visible

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared

DHN:

1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene

DOPA:

3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine

DPPH:

1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC3770052, NSFC40763003) and Yunnan Education Bureau Program on Key Research Projects (Special Item 09Z0037).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, and Key Laboratory for Microbial Resources of the Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, People’s Republic of China

    Fangdong Zhan, Tao Li & Zhiwei Zhao

  2. College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, People’s Republic of China

    Fangdong Zhan, Yongmei He & Yanqun Zu

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  1. Fangdong Zhan
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  2. Yongmei He
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  3. Yanqun Zu
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  4. Tao Li
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Correspondence to Zhiwei Zhao.

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Zhan, F., He, Y., Zu, Y. et al. Characterization of melanin isolated from a dark septate endophyte (DSE), Exophiala pisciphila . World J Microbiol Biotechnol 27, 2483–2489 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-011-0712-8

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