An endophytic fungus, Gibberella moniliformis from Lawsonia inermis L. produces lawsone, an orange-red pigment.
Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1, 4-napthoquinone), also known as hennotannic acid, is an orange red dye used as a popular skin and hair colorant. The dye is produced in the leaves of Lawsonia inermis L, often referred to as the "henna" tree. In this study, we report the production of lawsone by an endophytic fungus, Gibberella moniliformis isolated from the leaf tissues of Lawsonia inermis. The fungus produced the orange-red dye in potato dextrose agar and broth, independent of the host tissue. Presence of lawsone was confirmed spectrometrically using HPLC and ESI-MS/MS analysis. The fragmentation pattern of lawsone was identical to both standard lawsone and that extracted from plant tissue. This is a first report of lawsone being produced by an endophytic fungus, independent of the host tissue. The study opens up interesting questions on the possible biosynthetic pathway through which lawsone is produced by the fungus.
Department of Crop Physiology, School of Ecology and Conservation, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, 560065, India.|School of Bioscience and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, 632014, India.
Hatnagar
H
Sarang
Department of Crop Physiology, School of Ecology and Conservation, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, 560065, India.|School of Bioscience and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, 632014, India.
Pijakala
P
Rajani
Department of Crop Physiology, School of Ecology and Conservation, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, 560065, India.
Madhugiri Mallaiah
MM
Vasanthakumari
DST Unit of Nanoscience and Thematic Unit of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India.
Patel Mohana
PM
Kumara
School of Bioscience and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, 632014, India.
Ramamoorthy
R
Siva
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur, Bengaluru, 560064, India.
Gudasalamani
G
Ravikanth
Department of Crop Physiology, School of Ecology and Conservation, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, 560065, India. umashaanker@gmail.com.|Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur, Bengaluru, 560064, India. umashaanker@gmail.com.
R
R
Uma Shaanker
D000818:Animals; D032084:Citrus sinensis; D005658:Fungi; D005874:Gibberella / Q000378:metabolism*; D031564:Lawsonia Plant; D009285:Naphthoquinones / Q000378:metabolism*; D010936:Plant Extracts; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
D009285:Naphthoquinones; D010936:Plant Extracts; C005090:lawsone
Endophytic fungus; Gibberella moniliformis; Lawsone; Lawsonia inermis; Orange red dye