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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Studying Chronic Exposure of Mice to Ultraviolet B Radiation

Studying Chronic Exposure of Mice to Ultraviolet B Radiation

Published on: August 19, 2025

Microbial ultraviolet sunscreens.

Qunjie Gao¹, Ferran Garcia-Pichel

¹School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.

Nature Reviews. Microbiology

|October 4, 2011

Summary

Microorganisms use secondary metabolites as sunscreens to protect against harmful ultraviolet light. This review covers microbial sunscreens like scytonemin, mycosporines, and melanins, highlighting their photoprotective roles and potential applications.

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Photobiology
Biochemistry

Background:

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight is a significant environmental stressor for microorganisms.
Many large-celled microbes, including cyanobacteria, fungi, and protists, have evolved photoprotective strategies.
Secondary metabolites function as natural sunscreens, mitigating the damaging effects of UV exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current knowledge on microbial sunscreen compounds.
To explore the diversity and mechanisms of these photoprotective molecules.
To discuss the implications of studying microbial sunscreens for various scientific fields.

Main Methods:

Literature review of existing research on microbial photoprotection.
Analysis of the chemical structures and properties of known microbial sunscreens.

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Synthesis of information regarding the ecological roles and biochemical pathways of these compounds.

Main Results:

Identified key microbial sunscreen compounds: scytonemin, mycosporines, and naphthalene-based melanins.
Detailed the photoprotective mechanisms employed by these secondary metabolites.
Highlighted the discovery of novel compounds and metabolic pathways through sunscreen research.

Conclusions:

Microbial sunscreens are crucial for survival in UV-rich environments.
The study of these compounds offers insights into microbial photobiology.
Potential applications in dermatology and biomedicine are suggested, stemming from the unique properties of microbial sunscreens.