A study of the species composition of yeast fungi in East Antarctica and the possibility of using them to produce melanin
E. A. Gribanova,
V. P. Kurchenko,
I. I. Azarko,
V. E. Myamin,
N. V. Dudchik,
I. V. Rzhepakovsky,
A. D. Lodygin https://doi.org/10.37493/2307-910X.2026.1.9
Abstract
This article presents data from a study of the species affiliation of yeast fungi in East Antarctica, conducted using a comparative analysis of genetic sequences encoding 18S rRNA and carbohydrate metabolism characteristics. Analysis of the relationships between phylogenetic and physiological parameters of pentose, hexose, and disaccharide metabolism enabled the identification of 21 yeast isolates, including 2 strains from the Ascomycota phylum and 19 strains from the Basidiomycota phylum. According to the analysis, ascomycetous yeasts efficiently metabolize the entire range of carbohydrates studied. Different basidiomycete species exhibit intergeneric and intraspecific differences in the substrate specificity of carbohydrate metabolism. The ascomycetous yeast Dothiora sp. BIM Y-383 contains the melanin pigment as a secondary metabolite. The isolated melanin exhibited antioxidant, genoprotective, and antibacterial activity.
Supporting agencies: The work was supported by the project funded by the BRFFR No. 20231168 “Production of biologically active substances by psychrophilic yeast isolated from soil samples of East Antarctica”.
About the Authors
E. A. Gribanova
Belarusian State University
Belarus
Belarus
Ekaterina A. Gribanova – senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology,
4, Nezavisimosti Ave., Minsk, 220030
V. P. Kurchenko
Belarusian State University
Belarus
Belarus
Vladimir P. Kurchenko – Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Associate Professor, Head of Research Laboratory of Applied Biology, Department of General Ecology and Methods of Biology Teaching, Faculty of Biology,
4, Nezavisimosti Ave., Minsk, 220030
I. I. Azarko
Belarusian State University
Belarus
Belarus
Igor I. Azarko – Cand. Sci. (Phys.-Math.), Associate Professor, Head of the Research Laboratory (SRL) of Physics and Engineering of Semiconductors, Faculty of Physics,
4, Nezavisimosti Ave., Minsk, 220030
V. E. Myamin
Belarusian State University
Belarus
Belarus
Vladislav E. Myamin – Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology,
4, Nezavisimosti Ave., Minsk, 220030
N. V. Dudchik
The Scientific and Practical Center of Hygiene
Belarus
Belarus
Natal'ya V. Dudchik – Dr. Sci. (Biol.), Associate Professor, Head of Microbiology Laboratory Republican Unitary Enterprise "Scientific and Practical Center of Hygiene",
8, Akademicheskaya st., Minsk, 220012
I. V. Rzhepakovsky
North-Caucasus Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Igor V. Rzhepakovsky – Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Associate Professor, Leading Researcher of the Interdepartmental Scientific and Educational Laboratory of Experimental Immunomorphology, Immunopathology and Immunobiotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Biology,
1, Pushkin st., Stavropol, 355017
A. D. Lodygin
North-Caucasus Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Aleksey D. Lodygin – Dr. Sci. (Techn.), Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Applied Biotechnology, Chief Researcher of the Research Laboratory of Food and Industrial Biotechnology, Faculty of Food Engineering and Biotechnology named after Academician A.G. Khramtsov,
1, Pushkin st., Stavropol, 355017
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Review
For citations:
Gribanova E.A., Kurchenko V.P., Azarko I.I., Myamin V.E., Dudchik N.V., Rzhepakovsky I.V., Lodygin A.D. A study of the species composition of yeast fungi in East Antarctica and the possibility of using them to produce melanin. Modern Science and Innovations. 2026;(1):112-127. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.37493/2307-910X.2026.1.9
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