Melanin: a photoprotection for Bacillus thuringiensis based biopesticides

Anilino-1,4-naphthoquinones as potent mushroom tyrosinase inhibitors: in vitro and in silico studies

Tyrosinase, a pivotal enzyme in melanin synthesis, is a primary target for the development of depigmenting agents. In this work, in vitro and in silico techniques were employed to identify novel tyrosinase inhibitors from a set of 12 anilino-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives. Results from the mushroom tyrosinase activity assay indicated that, among the 12 derivatives, three compounds (1, 5, and 10) demonstrated the most significant inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase, surpassing the effectiveness of the kojic acid. Molecular docking revealed that all studied derivatives interacted with copper ions and amino acid residues at the enzyme active site. Molecular dynamics simulations provided insights into the stability of enzyme-inhibitor complexes, in which compounds 1, 5, and particularly 10 displayed greater stability, atomic contacts, and structural compactness than kojic acid. Drug likeness prediction further strengthens the potential of anilino-1,4-naphthoquinones as promising candidates for the development of novel tyrosinase inhibitors for the treatment of hyperpigmentation disorders.

Galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase GalT promotes biofilm formation and enhances UV-B resistance of Bacillus thuringiensis

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a major abiotic stress resulting in relative short duration of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) biopesticides in the field, which is expected to be solved by formation of Bt biofilm with higher UV resistance. Therefore, one of the important prerequisite works is to clarify the functions of biofilm-associated genes on biofilm formation and UV resistance of Bt. In this study, comparative genomics and bioinformatic analysis indicated that BTXL6_19475 gene involved in biofilm formation of Bt XL6 was likely to encode a galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (GalT, E.C. 2.7.7.12). Heterologous expression of the BTXL6_19475 gene in Escherichia coli and detection of its GalT enzyme activity in vitro proved that the gene did encode GalT. Comparing the wild type Bt strain XL6 with galT gene knockout mutant Bt XL6ΔgalT and its complementary strain Bt XL6ΔgalT::19,475, GalT promoted the biofilm formation and enhanced the UV-B resistance of Bt XL6 likely by increasing its D-ribose production and reducing its alanine aryldamidase activity. GalT did not affect the growth and the cell motility of Bt XL6. A regulation map had been proposed to elucidate how GalT promoted biofilm formation and enhanced UV-B resistance of Bt XL6 by the cross-talk between Leloir pathway, Embden-Meyerhof glycolysis pathway and pentose phosphate pathway. Our finding provides a theoretical basis for the efficient use of biofilm genes to improve the UV resistance of Bt biofilms and thus extend field duration of Bt formulations based on biofilm engineering.

Fungal Peptidomelanin: A Novel Biopolymer for the Chelation of Heavy Metals

Melanin is an amorphous, highly heterogeneous polymer found across all kingdoms of life. Although the properties of melanin can greatly vary, most forms are insoluble and strongly absorb light, appearing dark brown to black. Here, we describe a water-soluble form of melanin (peptidomelanin) secreted by the spores of Aspergillus niger (strain: melanoliber) during germination. Peptidomelanin is composed of an insoluble L-DOPA core polymer that is solubilized via short, copolymerized heterogeneous peptide chains forming a "corona" with a mean amino acid length of 2.6 ± 2.3. Based on in vitro experiments, we propose a biochemical copolymerization mechanism involving the hydroxylation of tyrosynylated peptides. Peptidomelanin is capable of chelating heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and uranium (as uranyl) in large quantities. Preliminary data indicates that peptidomelanin may have applications for the remediation of heavy metals in situ, including in agricultural settings.

Melanin-The Éminence Grise of Melanoma and Parkinson's Disease Development

A common feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) and melanoma is their starting points being based on cells capable of converting tyrosine into melanin. Melanocytes produce two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. These dyes are designed to protect epidermal cells from the harmful effects of UV radiation. Neurones of the substantia nigra, which degenerate during PD, produce neuromelanin, the physiological role of which is not fully explained. This article discusses the potential role of melanins in the pathogenesis of both diseases. Melanins, due to their ability to accumulate toxic substances, may become their sources over time. The use of glutathione for the synthesis of pheomelanins and neuromelanins may reduce the antioxidant capacity of cells, leading to an excessive synthesis of free radicals. This study also tested the hypothesis that certain drugs used in the treatment of PD (L-DOPA, MAO-B and COMT inhibitors, and amantadine), aimed at increasing dopamine concentration, could potentially contribute to the development of melanoma. The role and properties of melanins should continue to be researched. Whether excessive melanin synthesis or its accumulation in the extracellular space may be factors initiating the development of diseases remains an open question.

Discovery of amphotericin B, an antifungal drug as tyrosinase inhibitor with potent anti-melanogenic activity

Tyrosinase, a rate-limiting enzyme for melanin production, has been the most efficient target for the development of depigmenting agents. Although hydroquinone, kojic acid, and arbutin are the most well-known tyrosinase inhibitors, their adverse effects are inevitable. In the present study, an in silico drug repositioning combined with experimental validation was performed to search for novel potent tyrosinase inhibitors. Docking-based virtual screening results revealed that, among the 3210 FDA-approved drugs available in the ZINC database, amphotericin B, an antifungal drug exhibited the highest binding efficiency against human tyrosinase. Results from tyrosinase inhibition assay demonstrated that amphotericin B could inhibit the activity of mushroom and cellular tyrosinases, especially from MNT-1 human melanoma cells. Molecular modeling results revealed that amphotericin B/human tyrosinase complex exhibited high stability in an aqueous environment. Melanin assay results demonstrated that amphotericin B significantly suppressed melanin production in α-MSH-induced B16F10 murine melanoma and MNT-1 human melanoma cell lines better than the known inhibitor, kojic acid. Mechanistically, amphotericin B treatment significantly activated ERK and Akt signaling pathways, resulting in the decreased expression of MITF and tyrosinase. The obtained results may pursue pre-clinical and clinical studies to examine the possibility of using amphotericin B as an alternative treatment for hyperpigmentation disorders.

Recent Advances and Progress on Melanin: From Source to Application

Melanin is a biological pigment formed by indoles and phenolic compounds. It is widely found in living organisms and has a variety of unique properties. Due to its diverse characteristics and good biocompatibility, melanin has become the focus in the fields of biomedicine, agriculture, the food industry, etc. However, due to the wide range of melanin sources, complex polymerization properties, and low solubility of specific solvents, the specific macromolecular structure and polymerization mechanism of melanin remain unclear, which significantly limits the further study and application of melanin. Its synthesis and degradation pathways are also controversial. In addition, new properties and applications of melanin are constantly being discovered. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in the research of melanin in all aspects. Firstly, the classification, source, and degradation of melanin are summarized. Secondly, a detailed description of the structure, characterization, and properties of melanin is followed. The novel biological activity of melanin and its application is described at the end.

Structural dynamics and susceptibility of isobutylamido thiazolyl resorcinol (ThiamidolTM) against human and mushroom tyrosinases

Tyrosinase, a key enzyme catalyzing a rate-limiting step of the melanin production, has been the most promising target for suppressing hyperpigmentation. Although a number of tyrosinase inhibitors have been developed, most of those lack clinical efficacy as they were identified from using mushroom tyrosinase (mTyr) as the target. Previous study revealed that the inhibitory effect of isobutylamido thiazolyl resorcinol (ThiamidolTM) on human tyrosinase (hTyr) is ∼100 times higher than that on mTyr. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the structural dynamics and susceptibility of ThiamidolTM against hTyr and mTyr at the atomic level using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and free energy calculation based on the molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann surface area method. The obtained results revealed that the resorcinol moiety of ThiamidolTM was found to be embedded in the catalytic copper center, interacting with H180, H202, H211, F386, and H390 residues of hTyr as well as with F264 residue of mTyr, mostly through van der Waals interactions. However, the number of destabilizing residues was found to be more pronounced in the ThiamidolTM/mTyr complex than the ThiamidolTM/hTyr system, supported by the lower binding affinity of ThiamidolTM/mTyr complex as well as the higher water accessibility and the lower number of atomic contacts at the active site of mTyr. Altogether, the structural and energetic information from this work would be useful for further optimization of more potent human tyrosinase inhibitors based on ThiamidolTM scaffold.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Melanin of fungi: from classification to application

Melanin is a secondary metabolite composed of complex heterogeneous polymers. Fungal melanin is considered to be a sustainable and biodegradable natural pigment and has a variety of functional properties and biological activities. On one hand, due to its own specific properties it can play the role of antioxidant, anti-radiation, adsorption, and photoprotection. On the other hand, it has good biological activities such as hepatoprotective effect, hypolipidemic effect and anti-cancer. Therefore, it is widely used in various fields of daily life, including dyeing, food, biomedical and commercial industry. It is conducive to environmental protection and human health. However, the insolubility of fungal melanin in water, acids and organic solvents has been an obstacle to its commercial applications. Thus, the chemical modification methods of fungal melanin are summarized to increase its solubility and expand the application fields. Although fungal melanin has been used in many industries, as the structure and function of fungal melanin and modified melanin are further studied, more functional properties and bioactivities are expected to be discovered for a wide range of applications in the future.

Development of a cypovirus protein microcrystal-encapsulated Bacillus thuringiensis UV-tolerant and mosquitocidal δ-endotoxin

The δ-endotoxin Cry4Aa from Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) has insecticidal characteristics specific to insects of the order Diptera. Although Cry4Aa has shown potential as an effective proteinaceous pesticide against mosquitoes, it has an ultraviolet (UV)-intolerant property that limits its outdoor use. Our previous research showed that protein microcrystal polyhedra from Bombyx mori cypovirus can encapsulate diverse foreign proteins and maintain long-term protein activity under hostile environmental conditions, including UV irradiation. In this study, we report the development of polyhedra encapsulating the Cry4Aa insecticidal activity domain by using a modified baculovirus expression system. We confirmed the oral intake of recombinant polyhedra introduced into the experimental environment by the larvae of a mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and delivery of encapsulated proteins into the digestive tract. The polyhedra encapsulating partial Cry4Aa showed mosquito larvicidal activity during incubation of larvae with 50% lethal-dose value of 23.717×10⁴ cubes for 10 Aedes albopictus larvae in 1 ml water. In addition, polyhedra showed a specific property to reduce the impact of UV-C irradiation on the activity of encapsulated partial Cry4Aa, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of encapsulating Bti δ-endotoxins inside polyhedra to increase the availability of proteinaceous pesticides for outdoor use for mosquito control.

Creation of an Industrial Bacillus thuringiensis Strain With High Melanin Production and UV Tolerance by Gene Editing

Bacillus thuringiensis produces insecticidal crystal proteins (ICPs) which exhibit strong insecticidal toxicity. But when used in the field, ICPs would be destroyed by ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight, thus decreasing the insecticidal activity and shortening the persistence. To improve the duration of B. thuringiensis preparations, we endowed a highly toxic industrial B. thuringiensis HD-1 with UV tolerance by making it produce melanin, a pigment that absorbs UV radiation. In B. thuringiensis, melanin is derived from homogentisate (HGA), an intermediate in the tyrosine pathway. And the absence of homogentisate-1,2-dioxygenase (HmgA) will lead to the formation of melanin. In this study, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to knock out the hmgA gene and obtained a melanin-producing mutant HD-1-ΔhmgA from strain HD-1. The melanin yield by mutant HD-1-ΔhmgA reached 3.60 mg/mL. And the anti-UV test showed that melanin serves as a protection to both the organism and the ICPs. After UV irradiation for 3 h, mutant HD-1-ΔhmgA still had an 80% insecticidal activity against the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, while the control line only had about 20%. This study creates a light-stable biopesticide prototype based on a classic industrial strain that can be applied directly and takes the melanin-producing strain as a concept to improve the preparation validity.

Bacterial pigments: A colorful palette reservoir for biotechnological applications

Synthetic derivatives are currently used instead of pigments in many applicative fields, from food to feed, from pharmaceutical to diagnostic, from agronomy to industry. Progress in organic chemistry allowed to obtain rather cheap compounds covering the whole color spectrum. However, several concerns arise from this chemical approach, as it is mainly based on nonrenewable resources such as fossil oil, and the toxicity or carcinogenic properties of products and/or precursors may be harmful for personnel involved in the productive processes. In this scenario, microorganisms and their pigments represent a colorful world to discover and reconsider. Each living bacterial strain may be a source of secondary metabolites with peculiar functions. The aim of this review is to link the physiological role of bacterial pigments with their potential use in different biotechnological fields. This enormous potential supports the big challenge for the development of strategies useful to identify, produce, and purify the right pigment for the desired application. At the end of this ideal journey through the world of bacterial pigments, the attention will be focused on melanin compounds, whose production relies upon different techniques ranging from natural producers, heterologous hosts, or isolated enzymes. In a green workflow, the microorganisms represent the starting and final point of pigment production.

Physicochemical properties, molecular structure, antioxidant activity, and biological function of extracellular melanin from Ascosphaera apis

Ascosphaera apis spores containing a dark-colored pigment infect honeybee larvae, resulting in a large-scale collapse of the bee colony due to chalkbrood disease. However, little is known about the pigment or whether it plays a role in bee infection caused by A. apis. In this study, the pigment was isolated by alkali extraction, acid hydrolysis, and repeated precipitation. Ultraviolet (UV) analysis revealed that the pigment had a color value of 273, a maximum absorption peak at 195 nm, and a high alkaline solubility (7.67%) and acid precipitability. Further chemical structure analysis of the pigment, including elemental composition, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), proved that it was a eumelanin with a typical indole structure. The molecular formula of melanin is C₁₀H₆O₄N₂, and its molecular weight is 409 Da. Melanin has hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino, and phenolic groups that can potentially chelate to metal ions. Antioxidant function analyses showed that A. apis melanin had a high scavenging activity against superoxide, hydroxyl, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, and a high reducing ability to Fe³⁺. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses showed that A. apis melanin was located on the spore wall. The spore wall localization, antioxidant activity, and metal ion chelating properties of fungal melanin have been suggested to contribute to spore pathogenicity. However, further infection experiments showed that melanin-deficient spores did not reduce the mortality of bee larvae, indicating that melanin does not increase the virulence of A. apis spores. This study is the first report on melanin produced by A. apis, providing an important background reference for further study on its role in A. apis.

Streptomyces strains modulate dynamics of soil bacterial communities and their efficacy in disease suppression caused by Phytophthora capsici

The responses of rhizosphere bacterial communities of Streptomyces (SS14 and IT20 stains) treated-pepper plants following inoculation by Phytophthora capsici (PC) was investigated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Distinct modulation of the bacteriome composition was found for PC samples with the highest relative abundance (RA) of Chitinophaga (22 ± 0.03%). The RA of several bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was affected and caused changes in alpha and beta-diversity measures. In IT20, the RA of Cyanobacteria was enriched compared to SS14 (72%) and control samples (47%). Phylotypes belonging to Devosia, Promicromonospora, Kribbella, Microbacterium, Amylocolatopsis, and Pseudomonas genera in the rhizosphere were positively responding against the pathogen. Our findings show that the phosphate solubilizing strain IT20 has higher microbial community responders than the melanin-producing strain SS14. Also, positive interactions were identified by comparing bacterial community profiles between treatments that might allow designing synthetic bio-inoculants to solve agronomic problems in an eco-friendly way.

Fungal melanins that deteriorate paper cultural heritage: An overview

Paper-based works of art and documents of cultural importance kept in museums and libraries can show notorious signs of deterioration, including foxing stains, caused by fungal colonization. Some of the main chromophore agents of fungal origin that deteriorate paper and therefore affect paper cultural heritage both aesthetically and structurally are the group of pigments called melanins. Thus, knowledge of the diversity and features of fungal melanins and of the melanization pathways of fungi growing on paper is key to removing these pigments from paper-based works of cultural importance. This review provides an approach about the current knowledge of melanins synthesized by paper-colonizing fungi, their localization in the fungal structures, and their role in the deterioration of paper. This knowledge might contribute to developing new, effective, and sustainable strategies of restoration and conservation of historical documents and works of art based on paper.

Antimicrobial secondary metabolites from agriculturally important bacteria as next-generation pesticides

The whole organisms can be packaged as biopesticides, but secondary metabolites secreted by microorganisms can also have a wide range of biological activities that either protect the plant against pests and pathogens or act as plant growth promotors which can be beneficial for the agricultural crops. In this review, we have compiled information about the most important secondary metabolites of three important bacterial genera currently used in agriculture pest and disease management.

Terrestrial Microorganisms: Cell Factories of Bioactive Molecules with Skin Protecting Applications

It is well known that terrestrial environments host an immense microbial biodiversity. Exposed to different types of stress, such as UV radiation, temperature fluctuations, water availability and the inter- / intra-specific competition for resources, terrestrial microorganisms have been evolved to produce a large spectrum of bioactive molecules. Bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi and algae have shown a high potential of producing biomolecules for pharmaceutical or other industrial purposes as they combine a sustainable, relatively low-cost and fast-production process. Herein, we provide an overview of the different bioactive molecules produced by terrestrial microorganisms with skin protecting applications. The high content in polyphenolic and carotenoid compounds produced by several strains, as well as the presence of exopolysaccharides, melanins, indole and pyrrole derivatives, mycosporines, carboxylic acids and other molecules, are discussed in the context of their antioxidant, photo-protective and skin-whitening activity. Relevant biotechnological tools developed for the enhanced production of high added value natural products, as well as the protecting effect of some antioxidant, hydrolytic and degrading enzymes are also discussed. Furthermore, we describe classes of microbial compounds that are used or have the potential to be used as antimicrobials, moisturizers, biosurfactants, pigments, flavorings and fragrances.

Single Amino Acid Substitution in Homogentisate Dioxygenase Affects Melanin Production in Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis formulation losing its activity under field conditions due to UV radiation and photoprotection of B. thuringiensis based on melanin has attracted the attention of researchers for many years. Here, a single amino acid substitution (G272E) in homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase was found to be responsible for pigment overproduction in B. thuringiensis BMB181, a derivative of BMB171. Disrupting the gene encoding homogentisate dioxygenase in BMB171 induced the accumulation of the homogentisic acid and provoked an increased pigment formation. To gain insights into homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase in B. thuringiensis, we constructed a total of 14 mutations with a single amino acid substitution, and six of the mutant proteins were found to affect the melanin production when substituted by alanine. This study provides a new way to construct pigment-overproducing strains by impairing the homogentisate dioxygenase with a single mutation in B. thuringiensis, and the findings will facilitate a better understanding of this enzyme.