SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC CHARACTERIZATION OF NEISSERIA PIGMENTS

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Abstract
Pigment was extracted from cultures of non-pathogenic Neisseria grown in broth culture at 37[degree]C upon a rotary shaker. Cells were harvested by centrifugation, washed with saline and 70% acetone and finally extracted with absolute methanol at 55[degree] C. These were examined in the Beckman DU spectrophoto-meter. The results from the gross extracts indicated a similarity of pattern within a species. Partition between immiscible solvents of the alcohol extract from a typical pig-mented strain indicated that the predominant pigments were hydrophilic in nature. When the partitioned fractions were chromatographed, they were adsorbed strongly to a sucrose column and required polar solvents to elute them. The elution characteristics and position of the adsorbed pigments agree with that found in the chromatography of xanthophylls. Absorption spectra of the eluted pigments suggest a fairly high degree of saturation of the molecule and a shortened chromophoric grouping. Some minor similarities were found between the pigments from Neisseria and those described from other bacteria. In general, however, the Neisseria pigments appear to be different from the currently described and recognized types of bacterial pigments.