Work

The cyanobacterial UV-absorbing pigment scytonemin displays radical-scavenging activity

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Scytonemin is a 544-Da hydrophobic pigment that can absorb UV-A radiation. It is present in cyanobacterial sheaths and is thought to function as a UV protectant. In this study, scytonemin was purified from the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune, and its radical-scavenging activity was characterized. The purified scytonemin quenched an organic radical in vitro and accounted for up to 10% of the total activity of an ethanol extract of N. commune. These results suggest that the extracellular UV-absorbing pigment scytonemin has multiple roles, functioning as a UV sunscreen and an antioxidant relevant to anhydrobiosis in N. commune.

Source: The Journal of General and Applied Microbiology

DOI: 10.2323/jgam.58.137

Authors: Kei Matsui, Ehsan Nazifi, Yosuke Hirai, Naoki Wada, Seiichi Matsugo, Toshio Sakamoto

Institution: Kanazawa University

Language: English

Topic: Microbial Metabolism and Applications

Subfield: Biotechnology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Institute for Basic Biology

Award: Molecular mechanisms of anhydrobiosis in the terrestrial cyanobacterium