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Isolation and characterization of melanin pigment from Pleurotus cystidiosus (telomorph of Antromycopsis macrocarpa)

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Abstract

Melanins are enigmatic pigments that are produced by a wide variety of microorganisms including several species of bacteria and fungi. For more than 40 years, fungi have been known to produce pigments called melanins. Melanin pigment production by mushrooms was not intensively studied. The present study was carried out on isolation and characterization of melanin from an edible mushroom Pleurotus cystidiosus var. formosensis. The mushroom produced dark mucous mass of hyaline arthrospores on mycelium. The coremia exclusively produced dikaryotic arthrospores with the remnant of a clamp connection. Continuous cell extension and division in the coremium stipe supplied cells for arthroconidiation at the coremium apex, which is surrounded by a liquid droplet (coremioliquid). The black coloured coremea (conidia) were produced by Antromycopsis macrocarpa (anamorph of P. cystidiosus) when cultured on potato dextrose agar medium. The agar plate was incubated at continuous light illumination for high amount of pigment (coremea) production. The slimy layer of the coremea was extracted and partially purified by alkaline and acid treatment. The black pigment was confirmed as melanin based on UV, IR and EPR spectra apart from chemical analysis. This is the first report on characterization of melanin obtained from Pleurotus cystidiosus var. formosensis.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Prof. N. Anand, Director, Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras for laboratory facilities and Dr. K. Victor Babu and Dr. J. Subramanian, Chemical Physics Laboratory, Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai for EPR spectral analysis.

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  1. Fungal Biotechnology, Natural Products and Tissue Culture Laboratory, Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India

    P. Selvakumar, S. Rajasekar, K. Periasamy & N. Raaman

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  1. P. Selvakumar
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Correspondence to N. Raaman.

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Selvakumar, P., Rajasekar, S., Periasamy, K. et al. Isolation and characterization of melanin pigment from Pleurotus cystidiosus (telomorph of Antromycopsis macrocarpa). World J Microbiol Biotechnol 24, 2125–2131 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-008-9718-2

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