The Orthovanadate-Catalyzed Formation of a Thermally Inert and Low-Redox-Potential Melanin.

ABSTRACT: Catechol-like compounds are found throughout biology in the form of both redox-active and metal-binding functional groups. Within the marine environment, catechol groups are known to coordinate strongly with vanadate and ferric ions, and this binding is regulated through redox mechanisms. While investigating marine melanin formation in vitro, we found that DOPA, a catechol-containing amino acid, reacts with both metals differently when provided with sulfite, a weak reductant, and selenite, a weak oxidant. Both compounds interacted with the DOPA-vanadium complex, but only selenite, the more redox-labile chalcogenide, led to the creation of melanin particulates. When DOPA, vanadate, and selenite are present together, a metal-binding spectra shift and a melanin variant are rapidly observed. T

SUBMITTER: VanArsdale E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12194018 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature