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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Method for Extracting Pigments from Squid Doryteuthis pealeii
Published on: November 9, 2016
Localized and regulated peptide pigment formation inside liquid droplets through confined enzymatic oxidation
Kenny Barriales1,2,3, Salma Kassem1, Deborah Sementa1
1Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), 85 St Nicholas Terrace, New York, New York 10031, USA. rulijn@gc.cuny.edu.
Abstract:
Melanin pigments are found in most life forms, where they are responsible for coloration and ultraviolet (UV) light protection. Natural melanin is a poorly soluble and complex biosynthesis product produced through confined and templated enzymatic oxidation of tyrosine. It has been challenging to create water-soluble synthetic mimics. This study demonstrates the enzymatic synthesis of oxidized phenols confined inside liquid droplets. We use an amphiphilic, bifunctional peptide, DYFR9, that combines a tyrosine tripeptide previously shown to undergo enzymatic oxidation to form peptide pigments with broad absorbance, and polyarginine to facilitate complex coacervation in the presence of ATP. When ATP, DYFR9 are mixed and exposed to tyrosinase, pigmented liquid droplets result, while no appreciable oxidation is observed in the bulk.
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