THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF THE MELANINS FROM Coprinus spp

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Abstract
Among the Basidiomycetes the species of the genus Coprinus have black spores and hymenia that, at maturity, are transformed through autodigestion into a black or inky fluid that drops from the pileus and blackens the soil beneath the fruiting structures. The melanins from 3 spp. of Coprinus [C. atramentarius, C. comatus, C. micaceus] were characterized by spectroscopic techniques, including cross-polarization, magic-angle spinning C-13 NMR and chemical and thermal degradations. The aliphatic moiety of these melanins is made up of fatty acids, polysaccharides and proteins, and the aromatic part includes alkylbenzenes, alkylphenols, hydroxytoluenes and more complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The melanins of the Basidiomycetes, as represented by Coprinus species, probably contribute to soil humus formation.