Genetic, structural, and functional characterization of allomelanin from black yeast Exophiala viscosa, a chassis for fungal melanin production.

ABSTRACT: Melanized fungi are known for their remarkable resilience to environmental stress, largely attributed to the protective properties of melanin. In this study, we establish the black yeast Exophiala viscosa as a non-pathogenic, genetically tractable model for the scalable production and functional analysis of DHN-melanin (allomelanin). Cultivation in flasks and bioreactors yielded up to 8.6 g/L of melanin, with the majority tightly incorporated into the cell wall as "melanin ghosts". Chemical analyses including FTIR, XPS, ssNMR, and EPR confirmed the identity of the pigment as allomelanin and revealed a structural association with chitin. Gene deletions of Pks1, Arp2, and Abr2 validated the DHN-melanin biosynthetic pathway and enabled the generation of pigment-deficient mutants. Functional a

SUBMITTER: Hennessa TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12507995 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature