Production of bikaverin by a Fusarium fujikuroi mutant in submerged cultures.

G J Lale,R V Gadre

doi:10.1186/s13568-016-0205-0

Abstract

A variety of mutants having different colony characteristics, morphology and soluble pigmentation were generated from Fusarium fujikuroi by exposure to UV radiation. Mutants were selected that formed dry, compact, small colonies with reddish-violet pigment on regeneration agar plates. The production of bikaverin by Mut-4 was examined in shake flasks in media with different nitrogen and carbon sources. The optimal C: N ratio for the maximal bikaverin production by Mut-4 was 150:1. It produced still higher bikaverin (6.3 g l−1) in a medium containing defatted cottonseed meal as nitrogen source, in combination with glucose. Bikaverin produced was extracted, purified and characterized by UV-visible and NMR spectroscopy. Bikaverin production in the present investigation was substantially higher than that reported by earlier investigators in submerged and solid-state fermentations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13568-016-0205-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Production of pigments by fungi is an interesting phenomenon because of their wide variations and potential applications as reviewed (Mapari et al 2010; Celestino et al 2014; Akilandeswari and Pradeep 2016)
The precipitate was taken in appropriate volume of chloroform and used for thin layer chromatography (TLC) using aluminium sheets coated with silica gel 60 (Merck Life Science, Mumbai, India) and a mobile phase composed of chloroform:methanol:formic acid (85:15:1, v/v) as described by Bell et al (2003)
Bikaverin is a polyketide of biotechnological interest and like gibberellins, it is secreted by F. fujikuroi into the culture medium

Summary

Introduction

Production of pigments by fungi is an interesting phenomenon because of their wide variations and potential applications as reviewed (Mapari et al 2010; Celestino et al 2014; Akilandeswari and Pradeep 2016). The majority of the fungal pigments produced belong to the group of compounds like quinones, flavonoids, melanins and azaphilones, which are aromatic polyketides and are reported to have medicinal uses as well as potential dyes (Kongruang 2011). The fungus produces a variety of secondary metabolites like moniliformin, beauvericin, fumonisin, fusarin C neurosporaxanthin and the red pigment bikaverin as well as its isomer, nor-bikaverin (Fotso et al 2002). The functions of most secondary metabolites are unknown, it is generally recognized that pigments are likely to protect fungi from exposure to environmental stresses such as irradiation and oxidation which result in their growth

Methods

Results

Conclusion