2019 Volume 60 Issue 4 Pages 262-269
Chemical and physical properties (including ultraviolet spectrum) of a brown pigment isolated from Grifola frondosa fruiting bodies were almost identical to those of fungal melanin. From the full genome sequence of G. frondosa, genes involved in the melanin biosynthesis pathway of this polypore mushroom were identified, including tyrosinases (tyr1 and tyr2). Transcriptional analyses showed dramatic changes only in the expression of tyr2 in the primordial stage. Immuno-electron microscopy using anti-tyrosinase antibodies showed that TYR2 localizes in the cell walls of primordia. Therefore, TYR2 may be closely associated with melanin biosynthesis in this polypore mushroom G. frondosa, and melanin might be produced in the cell wall.
