Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a new method to produce large amounts of xanthommatin, a pigment responsible for the camouflage abilities of cephalopods such as octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish. This breakthrough could expand the use of the pigment in various industries, including materials science and cosmetics.
The research team, based at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, used a technique that allows bacteria to generate up to 1,000 times more xanthommatin than previous laboratory methods. The results were published on November 3 in Nature Biotechnology.
“We’ve developed a new technique that has sped up our capabilities to make a material, in this case xanthommatin, in a bacterium for the first time,” said Bradley Moore, senior author of the study and marine chemist with appointments at both Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “This natural pigment is what gives an octopus or a squid its ability to camouflage — a fantastic superpower — and our achievement to advance production of this material is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Xanthommatin also contributes to vivid colors in some insects, such as monarch butterflies and dragonflies. However, studying this pigment has been difficult because it is challenging to harvest from animals or synthesize efficiently in laboratories.
To address these challenges, researchers designed a process called “growth coupled biosynthesis.” By engineering bacteria so their survival depended on producing both xanthommatin and formic acid—a compound necessary for cell growth—the scientists ensured high levels of pigment production. Robots were used to evolve and optimize these microbes further.
“We needed a whole new approach to address this problem,” said Leah Bushin, lead author of the study who conducted her work at Scripps Oceanography before joining Stanford University as faculty. “Essentially, we came up with a way to trick the bacteria into making more of the material that we needed.”
Adam Feist, co-author from UC San Diego’s Department of Bioengineering and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, noted: “This project gives a glimpse into a future where biology enables the sustainable production of valuable compounds and materials through advanced automation, data integration and computationally driven design. Here, we show how we can accelerate innovation in biomanufacturing by bringing together engineers, biologists and chemists using some of the most advanced strain-engineering techniques to develop and optimize a novel product in a relatively short time.”
Traditional lab methods typically yield only about five milligrams per liter; with this new approach yields reached between one to three grams per liter.
The study received funding from multiple organizations including the National Institutes of Health and Office of Naval Research. According to researchers involved in the project, potential applications include photoelectronic devices, thermal coatings, UV protectants for skincare products—areas where companies have already expressed interest—as well as color-changing paints and environmental sensors.
Moore stated: “We’ve really disrupted the way that people think about how you engineer a cell. Our innovative technological approach sparked a huge leap in production capability. This new method solves a supply challenge and could now make this biomaterial much more broadly available.”
“As we look to the future, humans will want to rethink how we make materials to support our synthetic lifestyle of 8 billion people on Earth,” added Moore. “Thanks to federal funding, we’ve unlocked a promising new pathway for designing nature-inspired materials that are better for people and the planet.”
Additional contributors included Tobias Alter, María Alván-Vargas, Daniel Volke, Òscar Puiggené and Pablo Nikel from Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability; Elina Olson from UC San Diego’s Department of Bioengineering; Lara Dürr and Mariah Avila from Scripps Institution; Taehwan Kim and Leila Deravi from Northeastern University.
