Homogentisic acid is the product of MelA, which mediates melanogenesis in the marine bacterium Shewanella colwelliana D.
Shewanella colwelliana D is a marine procaryote which produces a diffusible brown pigment that correlates with melA gene expression. Previously, melA had been cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli; however, the reaction product of MelA had not been identified. This report identifies that product as homogentisic acid, provides evidence that the pigment is homogentisic acid-melanin (pyomelanin), and suggests that MelA is p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate hydroxylase. This is the first report of pyomelanin in an obligate marine bacterium.
Coon
S L
SL
Department of Microbiology, University of Maryland, College Park 20742.
Kotob
S
S
Jarvis
B B
BB
Wang
S
S
Fuqua
W C
WC
Weiner
R M
RM
D015111:4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006713:Homogentisic Acid; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012623:Seawater; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014871:Water Microbiology
D008543:Melanins; C023793:pyomelanin; D015111:4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase; D006713:Homogentisic Acid