Indigo biosynthesis by Comamonas sp. MQ

• DOI: 10.1007/s10529-011-0778-2
• Publication Date: 2011-10-21T09:05:15Z
• Authors: Yuanyuan Qu; Xuwang Zhang; Qiao Ma; Fang Ma; Qiang Zhang; Xinliang Li; Hao Zhou; Jiti Zhou
• Keywords: Comamonas; Indigo carmine; Comamonas testosteroni

An indigo-producing strain was isolated from activated sludge and identified as Comamonas sp. based on 16S rRNA analysis. It produced indigo at 26.5 mg/l with a conversion of indole to indigo of 47%. Indole at 50 mg/l plus 200 mg naphthalene/l gave 32.2 mg indigo/l with a 58% conversion. A pathway for indigo formation is proposed. This is the first study of indigo biosynthesis by Comamonas sp.