Aplysioviolin is a metabolic product of Aplysia californica species of sea hare, and is a major component to its ink mixture.
Sea hares first consume red algae as nutriment, and extract from it the light-harvesting pigment phycoerythrin, cleaving it to separate the red-colored chromophore phycoerythrobilin from its covalently-bound protein structure.
The sea hare then methylates one of phycoerythrobilin's two hydroxyl groups to form aplysioviolin, which is concentrated and then stored in the ink gland.
Aplysioviolin is a metabolic product of Aplysia californica species of sea hare, and is a major component to its ink mixture. Sea hares first consume red algae as nutriment, and extract from it the light-harvesting pigment phycoerythrin, cleaving it to separate the red-colored chromophore phycoerythrobilin from its covalently-bound protein structure. The sea hare then methylates one of phycoerythrobilin's two hydroxyl groups to form aplysioviolin, which is concentrated and then stored in the ink gland.
Aplysioviolin