Identification of an intermediate for 1,8- dihydroxynaphthalenemelanin synthesis in a race-2 isolate of Fulvia fulva (syn. Cladosporium fulvum)

MEDINA, ROCÍO; LUCENTINI, CESAR G; FRANCO, MARIO E. E.; PETROSELLI, GABRIELA ; ROSSO, JANINA A. ; ERRA-BALSELLS, ROSA; BALATTI, PEDRO A. ; SAPARRAT, MARIO C. N.

Heliyon

Elsevier BV

Año: 2018

2405-8440

Fulvia fulva (syn. Cladosporium fulvum, Mycosphaerellaceae) is a dematiaceousfungus that causes tomato leaf mould. It is characterized by its biotrophic lifestyleand the synthesis of the bianthraquinone secondary metabolite, cladofulvin. Theaim of the study was to characterize the dark pigment photochemically synthesizedby F. fulva and to elucidate its biochemical pathway. We isolated a black pigmentfrom in vitro cultures of the fungus. We determined the pigment to be 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin based on its chemical and photochemicalcharacteristics, as well as the presence of flaviolin, when fungal reductases wereinhibited by tricyclazole. Furthermore, the pks1 gene involved in pigment synthesishas a KS domain already associated with DHN-melanin. Our findings support therelevance of studying melanization in F. fulva.