Journal
RESEARCH IN MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 162, Issue 10, Pages 1011-1017Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2011.07.006
Keywords
Aspergillus niger; Fungal spore; Melanin; Electrostatics
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Funding
- German Research Foundation (DFG) through the collaborative research center [SFB 578]
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The electrostatic surface potential of fungal spores is generally regarded as potentially influencing spore aggregation and pellet formation in submerged cultures of filamentous fungi. Spores of Aspergillus niger are typically characterized by negative zeta potentials over a wide range of pH values. In this study, this particular behavior is ascribed to the presence of an extensive melanin coating. It is proposed on the basis of zeta potential and pigment extraction experiments that this outermost layer affects the pH-dependent surface potential in two manners: (i) by the addition of negative charges to the spore surface and (ii) by the pH-dependent release of melanin pigment. Chemical analyses revealed that deprotonation of melanin-bound carboxyl groups is most probably responsible for pigment release under acidic conditions. These findings were incorporated into a simple model which has the ability to qualitatively explain the results of zeta potential experiments and, moreover, to provide the basis for quantitative investigations on the role of electrostatics in spore aggregation. (C) 2011 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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