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. 1994 Aug;60(8):3006–3010. doi: 10.1128/aem.60.8.3006-3010.1994

Homogentisic acid is the product of MelA, which mediates melanogenesis in the marine bacterium Shewanella colwelliana D.

S L Coon 1, S Kotob 1, B B Jarvis 1, S Wang 1, W C Fuqua 1, R M Weiner 1
PMCID: PMC201756  PMID: 8085836

Abstract

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.

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Selected References

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