Fungal melanins: a review

Butler, Michael J.; Day, Alan W.

doi:10.1139/cjm-44-12-1115

Cited by 124 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

129

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In melanised fungi, pigment is known to be localised in the cell wall, in the outermost layer or embedded within the wall as granules, layered in fibrils, or bound to cell wall chitin (Butler and Day 1998). In this study, Termitomyces melanin was microscopically detected to be present in cell wall or septa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Purification and characterisation of a sulphur rich melanin from edible mushroom Termitomyces albuminosus Heim

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Production, purification and characterisation of a black pigment from Termitomyces albuminosus as melanin is reported, for the first time, from shaken submerged culture condition using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis, ultraviolet–visible (UV-VIS), and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and 13C (CP/MAS) NMR spectra. SEM results on T. albuminosus revealed nanogranular nature of melanin nanoparticles within size range of 400–100 nm with fractal dimension D = 1.195–1.73. Elemental analysis of melanin indicated 54.6% C, 3.5% H, 2.4% N, 26.9% O, and 12% S. UV-VIS and FTIR spectra confirmed to the characteristic of melanin and were identical to the reference commercial sepia melanin. Further validation of the identity of pigment as melanin was achieved by EPR analysis. Termitomyces albuminosus melanin is postulated to be DOPA-type melanin confirmed by 13C (CP/MAS) NMR spectral analysis showing chemical shift at 200–170 ppm carbonyl, 160–110 ppm aromatic region, and with high 40–30 ppm open chain aliphatic region. Chemical modification through oxidation and cysteinylation (Pheomelanin) is implied as indicated by relatively high sulphur content (12%).

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Purification and characterisation of a sulphur rich melanin from edible mushroom Termitomyces albuminosus Heim

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While the chemical structure of these compounds is poorly understood, they are known to be generally composed of phenolic and indolic monomers (Bull, 1970;Bell and Wheeler, 1986;Butler and Day, 1998a). Fungi produce four classes of melanin that vary in their precursors and biosynthetic pathways.…”

Section: Melaninmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fungi produce four classes of melanin that vary in their precursors and biosynthetic pathways. These include g-glutaminyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzene (GDHB) melanin, dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) melanin, dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin and catechol melanin (Butler and Day, 1998a). Melanin type appears to be largely determined by phylogeny; Basidiomycetes produce GDHB and DOPA melanins, while Ascomycetes produce primarily DHN melanin but may also produce DOPA and catechol melanins (Bell and Wheeler, 1986;Butler and Day, 1998a).…”

Section: Melaninmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These include g-glutaminyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzene (GDHB) melanin, dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) melanin, dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin and catechol melanin (Butler and Day, 1998a). Melanin type appears to be largely determined by phylogeny; Basidiomycetes produce GDHB and DOPA melanins, while Ascomycetes produce primarily DHN melanin but may also produce DOPA and catechol melanins (Bell and Wheeler, 1986;Butler and Day, 1998a). The production of melanin in fungi has been linked to the tolerance of various environmental stressors, including high temperature (Rosas and Casadevall, 1997), water stress (Rehnstrom and Free, 1996;Kogej et al, 2007;Kejzar et al, 2013), ultraviolet light (Wang and Casadevall, 1994).…”

Section: Melaninmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The decomposition of ectomycorrhizal fungal necromass

Fernandez¹,

Langley

Chapman

et al. 2016

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

172

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tThe turnover of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal biomass represents a significant input into forest carbon (C) and nutrient cycles. Given the size of these fluxes, understanding the factors that control the decomposition of this necromass will greatly improve understanding of C and nutrient cycling in ecosystems. Recent research has highlighted the considerable variation in the decomposition rates of EM fungal necromass, and patterns from this research are beginning to emerge. In this article we review the research that has examined both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that control the decomposition of EM fungal necromass and propose additional factors that may strongly influence EM fungal necromass decomposition and ecosystem properties. We argue that, as with most plant litters, the stoichiometry (C:N) of EM necromass is an important factor governing decomposition, but its role is modulated by the nature of the C and N in the tissue. In particular, melanin concentration appears to negatively influence the quality of EM fungal necromass much as lignin does in plant litters. Other intrinsic factors such as the morphology of the mycelium may also play a large role and suggest this as a focus for future research. Extrinsic factors, such as decomposer community activity and physical protection by soil, are also likely to be important in governing the decomposition of ectomycorrhizal necromass in situ. Finally, we highlight the potential importance of EM fungal necromass diversity and abundance in influencing terrestrial biogeochemical cycles. Understanding the factors that control the decomposition of EM necromass will then improve the predictive power of next-generation terrestrial biosphere models.

show abstract

“…The outer ring is composed of cells whose walls contain the black compound melanin (Butler et al 2009). This is a macromolecule composed of various types of phenolic or indolic monomers that protects fungi from harsh environmental conditions, i.e visible or ultraviolet light, toxic metals or lytic enzymes, and antagonistic microorganisms (Butler and Day 1998). S. sclerotiorum melanin is extraordinarily resistant to chemical degradation.…”

Section: Pathogen Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological control of the soil-borne fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum –– a review

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Diseases caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib) de Bary are difficult to control and cause increasing losses of horticultural crops worldwide. Reasons of this phenomenon are various: (i) the specialization of crop production that causes the accumulation of the pathogen in the soil; (ii) the lack of a safe and efficient method of soil fumigation; (iii) the specific life cycle of S. sclerotiorum with survival structures (sclerotia), resistant to chemical and biological degradation. Sclerotinia diseases depend on many environmental factors which determine sclerotia survival and ascospores dissemination, because plants are mainly infected by air-borne ascospores from carpogenic germination of sclerotia. Due to the lack of effective synthetic agents for eradication of S. sclerortiorum from soil considerable interest has been focused on biological control, especially the selection of microorganisms with mycoparasitic activity towards S. sclerotiorum sclerotia, that can decrease their number in the soil. In this work we review reports on the use of different antagonistic fungi and bacteria in the control of S. sclerotiorum and discuss the suppressive effect of organic amendments against this soil-borne pathogen.

show abstract

Fungal melanins: a review

Cited by 124 publications

References 0 publications

Purification and characterisation of a sulphur rich melanin from edible mushroom Termitomyces albuminosus Heim

Purification and characterisation of a sulphur rich melanin from edible mushroom Termitomyces albuminosus Heim

The decomposition of ectomycorrhizal fungal necromass

Biological control of the soil-borne fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum –– a review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About