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Flavonoids and Melanins: a common strategy across two kingdoms
Giorgia Carletti1, Giuseppe Nervo1, Luigi Cattivelli2
11. Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Research Unit for Intensive Wood Production, Strada Frassineto 35, 15033 Casale Monferrato, AL, Italy;
International Journal of Biological Sciences
|December 18, 2014
Summary
Ultraviolet radiation damages cells, but plants and animals use antioxidant pigments like flavonoids and melanins for protection. These pigments also play roles in reproduction and stress resistance, with similar origins in cyanobacteria.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ecology
Background:
- Ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces cellular damage by generating reactive oxygen species.
- Organisms have evolved biochemical defense mechanisms against UV radiation.
- Melanins in animals and flavonoids in plants are key antioxidant pigments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the protective roles of melanins and flavonoids against UV radiation.
- To investigate the secondary functions of these pigments in reproduction and fitness.
- To highlight functional analogies in pigmentation mechanisms between plants and animals.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of molecular mechanisms of pigmentation.
- Review of existing literature on melanins and flavonoids.
- Exploration of pigment origins in simpler organisms like Cyanobacteria.
Main Results:
- Melanins and flavonoids are phenol compounds that scavenge free radicals and are enhanced by UV exposure.
- Pigmentation confers resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants and influences behavior and stress resistance in animals.
- These pigments are involved in signaling, reproduction, and communication.
Conclusions:
- Molecular mechanisms of pigmentation share functional analogies across plant and animal kingdoms.
- The origin of these protective and functional pigments can be traced back to cyanobacteria.
- Comparative studies offer insights into antioxidant strategies and the evolution of pigmentation.
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