ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MELANIN FROM A MARINE FUNGUS

An alkali extraction procedure yielded a dark brown pigment from the v egetative hyphae of the mangrove fungus, Cirrenalia pygmea. This pigme nt responded positively for all the diagnostic tests for melanin. The absorption spectrum of the pigment showed a strong absorption in the U V region with no absorption peaks in the visible region of the spectru m. A plot of log absorbance versus wavelength gave a linear curve with negative slope. The IR spectrum showed characteristic absorption band s. When tricyclazole, a specific inhibitor of dihydroxynaphthalene (DH N) type of melanin was incorporated in the growth medium, the fungus p roduced light coloured hyphae which were highly susceptible to osmotic shock. It appears that melanization of hyphae may afford protection t o some marine fungi against sudden changes in osmotic pressure.