Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

The word “melanin” refers to a group of high molecular weight, black, and brown pigments formed through the oxidation and polymerization of phenolic compounds. This pigment is present in all kingdoms of living organisms, but it remains the most enigmatic pigment in plants. The poor solubility of mel...

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Main Authors: Anastasiia Y. Glagoleva, Olesya Y. Shoeva, Elena K. Khlestkina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2020.00770/full
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author Anastasiia Y. Glagoleva
Olesya Y. Shoeva
Elena K. Khlestkina
Elena K. Khlestkina
author_facet Anastasiia Y. Glagoleva
Olesya Y. Shoeva
Elena K. Khlestkina
Elena K. Khlestkina
author_sort Anastasiia Y. Glagoleva
collection DOAJ
description The word “melanin” refers to a group of high molecular weight, black, and brown pigments formed through the oxidation and polymerization of phenolic compounds. This pigment is present in all kingdoms of living organisms, but it remains the most enigmatic pigment in plants. The poor solubility of melanin in particular solvents and its complex polymeric nature significantly constrain its study. Plant melanin synthesis is mostly associated with the enzymatic browning reaction that occurs in wounded plant tissues. This reaction occurs when, due to the disruption of cellular compartmentation, the chloroplast-located polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) release from the chloroplast and interact with their vacuolar substrates to produce o-quinones, which in turn polymerize to melanin. Furthermore, the presence of melanin in intact seed tissues has been demonstrated by diagnostic physicochemical tests. Unlike the well-studied enzymatic browning reaction, little is known about how melanin is formed in seeds. Recent data have shown that it is a tightly controlled genetic process that involves many genes, among which the genes encoding PPOs might be key. The present article aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge on melanin in plants and to discuss future perspectives on its study in light of recent findings.
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spelling doaj.art-41ab6eed21ef4d2395a33b2df2ceb6d82022-12-22T01:25:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2020-06-011110.3389/fpls.2020.00770550703Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future PerspectivesAnastasiia Y. Glagoleva0Olesya Y. Shoeva1Elena K. Khlestkina2Elena K. Khlestkina3Cereal Functional Genetics Group, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, RussiaCereal Functional Genetics Group, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, RussiaCereal Functional Genetics Group, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, RussiaN.I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), Saint Petersburg, RussiaThe word “melanin” refers to a group of high molecular weight, black, and brown pigments formed through the oxidation and polymerization of phenolic compounds. This pigment is present in all kingdoms of living organisms, but it remains the most enigmatic pigment in plants. The poor solubility of melanin in particular solvents and its complex polymeric nature significantly constrain its study. Plant melanin synthesis is mostly associated with the enzymatic browning reaction that occurs in wounded plant tissues. This reaction occurs when, due to the disruption of cellular compartmentation, the chloroplast-located polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) release from the chloroplast and interact with their vacuolar substrates to produce o-quinones, which in turn polymerize to melanin. Furthermore, the presence of melanin in intact seed tissues has been demonstrated by diagnostic physicochemical tests. Unlike the well-studied enzymatic browning reaction, little is known about how melanin is formed in seeds. Recent data have shown that it is a tightly controlled genetic process that involves many genes, among which the genes encoding PPOs might be key. The present article aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge on melanin in plants and to discuss future perspectives on its study in light of recent findings.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2020.00770/fullseeddiagnostic physicochemical testsmelanoplastpolyphenol oxidaseenzymatic browning reaction
spellingShingle Anastasiia Y. Glagoleva
Olesya Y. Shoeva
Elena K. Khlestkina
Elena K. Khlestkina
Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
Frontiers in Plant Science
seed
diagnostic physicochemical tests
melanoplast
polyphenol oxidase
enzymatic browning reaction
title Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
title_full Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
title_fullStr Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
title_full_unstemmed Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
title_short Melanin Pigment in Plants: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
title_sort melanin pigment in plants current knowledge and future perspectives
topic seed
diagnostic physicochemical tests
melanoplast
polyphenol oxidase
enzymatic browning reaction
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2020.00770/full
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AT elenakkhlestkina melaninpigmentinplantscurrentknowledgeandfutureperspectives
AT elenakkhlestkina melaninpigmentinplantscurrentknowledgeandfutureperspectives