86 



BIOCHEMISTRY OF FUNGI 



Quite a goodlv number of other pigments have been isolated 

 and studied, but the functions of most of them have not been given 

 any consideration. Some of them catalyze oxidations, as does a 

 red pigment, phoenicin, found in Penicillium phoenicttm and also 

 in the bacterium, Pseudovwnas aeruginosa. This oxidative func- 

 tion may be exercised by pigments that are associated with the 

 discoloration of agarics and boletes that have been injured. Stro- 

 bilomycol, a red pigment that turns black in the presence of the 

 oxidizing enzyme laccase, has been isolated from Boletus (Stro- 

 bilomyces) strobilaceus. From B. sat amis and B. luridus [Iwanoff 

 and ZwetkorT (1930)1 crystals of boletol have been obtained. 

 These crystals become blue on oxidation as they are transformed 



into isoboletol in the following manner: 



O 



O O 



HOOC 



OH 



HOOC 



OH 



OH 



O 



Boletol 



O O 



Isoboletol 



Evidence is being accumulated, furthermore, that many molds 

 and yeasts contain glutathione, which can function in respiratory 

 processes as an oxidation-reduction system, perhaps in conjunc- 

 tion with pigments. Miller and Stone (1938) record the occur- 

 rence of glutathione in Monilia sitophila and in species of Peni- 

 cillium, Aspergillus, and Rhizopus. 



OTHER METABOLIC PRODUCTS 



Amonsr the products of outstanding interest produced by a 

 species of Penicillium, presumably P. notatum, is a bactericidal 

 substance. Attention was called by Fleming (1929) to this prop- 

 erty of culture solutions in which an unnamed species of Peni- 

 cillium had been grown. This solution inhibited the growth of 

 various organisms taken from the throat and favored the growth 

 and isolation of Hemophilus influenzae. Reid (1935) investigated 

 the properties of this germicidal substance, now known as peni- 

 cillin. Later Chain and his associates (1940) reported its thera- 



