1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-melanin
1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-melanin
A melanin pigment produced by certain fungi. It plays important roles in UV protection, oxidative stress and pathogenesis. In <em>Aspergillus fumigatus</em>, it is used as a virulence factor and plays an important role in the survival of the fungus during unfavorable conditions both <em>in vivo</em> and <em>in vitro</em>, and protects it from the host immune system. The pigment is generally synthesised from the pentaketide pathway in which 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene is the immediate precursor which is polymerized to 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene-melanin by a laccase enzyme.