Abstract
Violacein is an intensely purple pigment synthesized by various genera of bacteria that has been discovered to have a wide range of interesting biological activities which range from anticarcinogenic to antibacterial. One of the hindrances for its real-life application is that the first microorganisms found to produce the compound may act as opportunistic pathogens. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of violacein from a non-pathogenic Antarctic Iodobacter strain. Its anti-microbial properties were also tested. The method proposed here for the purification of violacein shows high yields, indicating that this Antarctic microorganism could be a valuable source for this important pigment. This is the first characterization of violacein from an Antarctic Iodobacter strain and here we also present a viable method to obtain this pigment for potential biotechnological applications.
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We would like to thank Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) and project Conicyt, PIA ACT1412.
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Communicated by M. Moracci.
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This manuscript is part of a special issue of Extremophiles journal for the 12th International Congress of Extremophiles (Extremophiles 2018) that was held on 16–20 September 2018 in Ischia, Naples, Italy.
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Atalah, J., Blamey, L., Muñoz-Ibacache, S. et al. Isolation and characterization of violacein from an Antarctic Iodobacter: a non-pathogenic psychrotolerant microorganism. Extremophiles 24, 43–52 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-019-01111-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-019-01111-w