POTENSI PIGMEN ALAMI DARI BAKTERI SIMBION KARANG Mantipora sp SEBAGAI PEWARNA MAKANAN

ABSTRACT Color is very important in the food industry. The need for food coloring requires manufacturers to use synthetic dyes that have the potential to cause poisoning and cancer. One source of natural dyes comes from bacteria that are symbiotic with coral reefs. The purpose of this study is to isolate and characterize the bacterial pigment that has symbiosis with Montipora sp. The research method consisted of bacterial isolation and identification, pigment identification with UV-Vis spectrofotometer (200 – 800 nm) and TLC. The results of isilation and identification showed that Rhodococcus sp is dominant bacterial which is produces of carotenoiids for self defense from UV rays. The pigment found in Rhodococcus sp has the potential as a natural pigment for food coloring. Keywords: carotenoids, Montipora, pigment, Rhodococcus sp. ABSTRAK Warna sangat penting dalam industri pangan. Kebutuhan pewarna makanan menuntut produsen memakai bahan pewarna sintetik yang berpotensi menyebabkan keracunan dan kanker. Salah satu sumber pewarna alami berasal dari bakteri yang bersimbiosis dengan terumbu karang. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengisolasi dan mengkarakterisasi pigmen bakteri yang bersimbion Montipora sp. Metode penelitian terdiri dari isolasi dan identifkasi bakteri, identifikasi pigmen dengan spektrofotometer UV-Vis (200 – 800 nm) dan KLT. Hasil isolasi dan identifikasi bakteri berjenis Rhodococcus sp dan piigmen yang dihasilkan adalah karotenoid yang digunakan sebagai pertahanan diri dari sinar UV. Pigmen yang terdapat pada Rhodococcus sp berpotensi sebagai pigmen alami untuk pewarna pangan. Kata kunci: karotenoid, Montipora, pigmen, Rhodococcus sp.

Bacterial Pigment Prodigiosin Demonstrates a Unique Antiherpesvirus Activity That Is Mediated through Inhibition of Prosurvival Signal Transducers

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is among the most prevalent viral infections worldwide and remains incurable. While nucleoside analogs are used to relieve symptoms of infection, they suffer from having serious adverse effects and are unable to abolish the virus from the host. Here, we demonstrate a unique antiviral effect of prodigiosin (PG), a natural secondary metabolite produced by Serratia marcescens, on HSV infection. We show that PG naturally exerts antiviral activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections. PG treatment resulted in robust inhibition of viral replication in vitro and ex vivo in cultured porcine corneas. Additionally, PG protected against HSV-1 infection and disease progression in a murine model of ocular infection. In our quest to determine the molecular mechanisms of its antiviral activity, we show that PG specifically inhibits NF-κB and Akt signaling pathways and promotes accelerated cell death in HSV-infected cells. Our findings reveal novel antiviral properties of PG, suggesting its high potential as an alternative treatment for herpetic diseases. They also provide new information on antiviral effects of HSV-bacterial metabolite interactions. IMPORTANCE In this article, we provide a new role for a commonly found bacterial pigment in controlling herpes simplex virus infection, for which diverse and multimodal antiviral agents are needed to prevent drug resistance. Serratia marcescens is a red pigment (prodigiosin)-producing Gram-negative bacillus that is naturally found in soil and water. It is associated with many kinds of human infections, including wound and eye infections, and meningitis. Taking cues from previous studies on prodigiosin, including possible proapoptotic anticancer properties, we investigated how it might affect HSV infection. Interestingly, we found that it is a potent virucidal compound that disrupts host signaling pathways needed for HSV growth and survival. The mode of antiviral action suggests potentially broad activity against enveloped viruses. Our results also indicate that interactions with commensal bacteria may inhibit HSV infection, underscoring the importance of studying these microbial metabolites and their implications for viral pathogenesis and treatment.

Excitation energy transfer between monomolecular layers of light harvesting LH2 and LH1-reaction centre complexes printed on a glass substrate

Remarkably stable artificial light-harvesting arrays capable of harvesting and trapping solar energy were fabricated using purified bacterial pigment–protein complexes.