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Melanisation of Aspergillus terreus-is butyrolactone I involved in the regulation of both DOPA and DHN types of pigments in submerged culture?

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Palonen, Elina, Raina, Sheetal, Brandt, Annika, Meriluoto, Jussi, Keshavarz, Tajalli, Soini, Juhani·2017·Microorganisms
DOI 10.3390/microorganisms5020022PMC PMC5488093
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Abstract

Pigments and melanins of fungal spores have been investigated for decades, revealing important roles in the survival of the fungus in hostile environments. The key genes and the encoded enzymes for pigment and melanin biosynthesis have recently been found in Ascomycota, including Aspergillus spp. In Aspergillus terreus, the pigmentation has remained mysterious with only one class of melanin biogenesis being found. In this study, we examined an intriguing, partially annotated gene cluster of A. terreus strain NIH2624, utilizing previously sequenced transcriptome and improved gene expression data of strain MUCL 38669, under the influence of a suggested quorum sensing inducing metabolite, butyrolactone I. The core polyketide synthase (PKS) gene of the cluster was predicted to be significantly longer on the basis of the obtained transcriptional data, and the surrounding cluster was positively regulated by butyrolactone I at the late growth phase of submerged culture, presumably during sporulation. Phylogenetic analysis of the extended PKS revealed remarkable similarity with a group of known pigments of Fusarium spp., indicating a similar function for this PKS. We present a hypothesis of this PKS cluster to biosynthesise a 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-type of pigment during sporulation with the influence of butyrolactone I under submerged culture.

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  • Fungi such as Aspergillus niger and Basidiomycetes synthesize DOPA melanin through a biosynthetic pathway analogous to mammalian melanogenesis, utilizing L-DOPA as a substrate.

    “Fungi such as Aspergillus niger and Basidiomycetes synthesize DOPA melanin through a biosynthetic pathway analogous to mammalian melanogenesis, utilizing L-DOPA as a substrate [17,18,19].”

    From Fungal Melanin in Plant Pathogens: Complex Biosynthesis Pathways and Diverse Biological Functions (2025) · cites this paper as [17]

    The Introduction describes fungal DOPA melanin pathways and identifies 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine as one possible precursor. It does not establish DOPA melanin synthesis in Aspergillus niger or Basidiomycetes, or compare their pathways with mammalian melanogenesis. The Discussion (§4.1) addresses other Aspergillus species instead; page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Palonen, E., Raina, S., Brandt, A., Meriluoto, J., Keshavarz, T., & Soini, J.
Affiliations
  • Åbo Akademi University (FI)
  • University of Westminster (GB)
  • Turku University of Applied Sciences (FI)
Corresponding author
Palonen, Elina
ORCID
Venue
Microorganisms
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2017-05-04
Volume
5
Issue
2
Pages
22
ISSN
2076-2607 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/microorganisms5020022
PMC
PMC5488093
OpenAlex
W2611351971
Cited by
15
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2
FWCI
0.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Microorganisms (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Åbo Akademi University Research Portal (submittedVersion)
  • Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
European Commission
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biotechnology › Microbial Metabolism and Applications
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Fungal and yeast genetics research
Keywords
Aspergillus terreus, melanization, butyrolactone I, quorum sensing, 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene, DOPA, fungal pigments, polyketide synthase, gene clusters, sporulation, submerged culture, pigment synthesis

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