Isolation and characterization of violacein from an Antarctic Iodobacter: a non-pathogenic psychrotolerant microorganism

• Published in: Extremophiles
• Main Authors: Atalah, Joaquín, Blamey, Lotsé, Muñoz Ibacache, Sebastián, Gutiérrez, Felipe, Urzúa Acevedo, Marcela, Encinas, María Victoria, Páez, Maritza, Sun, Junsong, Blamey, Jenny M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Tokyo 2019
• Subjects: Antarctic microbiology; Lodobacter; Natural compounds; Pigment; Violacein; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-019-01111-w; http://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/171894

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.