Aspergillus fumigatus conidia entering and invading lung epithelium use SOD and catalases to defend against ROS. DHN-  melanin (Fig 1A) was previously reported to protect against ROS1 but the mechanism remained unclear. Interestingly, L-DOPA melanin (Fig. 1B) produced by Cryptococcus neoformans protects against hydroxyl radicals by acting as an antioxidant2 (Fig. 1C). Here we investigated ROS sensitivity of a ΔpksP::hph mutant lacking DHN-melanin and compared it to a pksP mutant obtained via UV mutagenesis.

Alternative mechanisms of protection of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia against Reactive Oxygen Species.