Fluorescein has been one of the most commonly used dyes in
biology for many years, and other fluoresceins and galleins are used
for a great many purposes from food colorings to textile dyes. I had
always assumed that the fluoresceins were synthetic substances, until
recently, when I stumbled across a couple very old references to
production of fluorescein by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and P. pyocyaneus,
( for example - King, et.al., Canadian J. Research 26C, 514, 1948).
My next question was about the biosynthetic pathway for
fluorescein, but a SciFinder search failed to turn up anything
specific. Actually, it turned up hundreds of hits on 'fluorescein',
as in used for staining and thousands on biosynthesis, but nothing
linking those two. I read down through about a hundred titles listed
as 'biosynthesis and fluorescein close together', but saw nothing of
interest.
And I was also interested in learning whether there were other
similar compounds, either fluoresceins or galleins, also produced by
various microbes.
I've got access to the literature, but need some help in
getting into it, specifically on this topic. Suggestions of authors
I should search on? Other tactics for finding articles on microbial
biosynthesis of fluorescein? Thanks for the help.
Tom McCloud
SAIC-Frederick
