Molecular and functional characterization of the melanin biosynthetic genes from Vibrio cholerae 569B

Bibliography: p. 155-177.V. cholerae 569B is a bacterium infamous for its role as the causative agent of the diarrhoeal disease cholera. Although the bacterium occurs naturally in brackish waters and estuaries, cholera outbreaks are closely linked to specific environmental conditions. For example, most outbreaks occur during the summer months when the bacterium experiences an increase in water temperature, play a role in activating virulence in V. cholerae 569B, the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated. Previously it was observed that when V. cholerae is exposed to elevated temperature and salinity, the bacterium initiates the synthesis of a brown-black pigment known as melanin. The function of the pigment and the genes involved in its synthesis was unknown. We therefore set out to determine the function of pigmentation in V. cholerae 569B, since pigmentation could significantly enhance the survival of the bacterium during adverse conditions and therefore aid in the persistence of the organism in the environment