Naphthomycin A
A yellow pigment isolated from Streptomyces collinus
No single value: Naphthomycin A is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, yellow.
Naphthomycin A is a yellow pigment obtained from the bacterium Streptomyces collinus. It belongs to the naphthomycin group, which has a long carbon chain structure and is known for antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor properties.
- A yellow pigment from Streptomyces collinus
- Part of the naphthomycin group with a long carbon chain
- Shows antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activity
- Biosynthesis involves at least thirty-two genes
What colour is Naphthomycin A?
Naphthomycin A is a yellow pigment that stands out for its origin from a soil bacterium, Streptomyces collinus. It is part of the naphthomycin group, which is noted for having the longest ansa aliphatic carbon chain among the ansamycin family of compounds. Its colour is a clear yellow, but it is mainly studied for its biological activity rather than its use as a dye or artist’s pigment.
Where does Naphthomycin A come from?
The pigment was first isolated from Streptomyces collinus, a type of actinobacteria found in soil. The name 'naphthomycin' refers to its chemical structure, which includes a naphthoquinone core. Its biosynthesis has been investigated using labelled carbon sources and genetic analysis, confirming the genes involved in its production.
How is Naphthomycin A made?
Naphthomycin A is produced naturally by the bacterium Streptomyces collinus. Its biosynthetic pathway involves a set of genes, with at least thirty-two identified in a specific gene cluster. Researchers have used carbon labelling and gene deletion to study how the bacterium assembles the pigment’s long carbon chain.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
The yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagAt the gaye holud, held a day or two before a wedding, relatives rub turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Guests dress in yellow and orange.
Weddings and marriageFestival and celebrationJoySource: Gaye holudOn Pohela Falgun, the first day of spring, young women wear yellow and orange saris, a shade called basanti, with flowers in their hair.
Festival and celebrationNature and renewalJoySource: Pohela FalgunThe Flemish flag is a black lion on yellow, and the Walloon flag a red cockerel on yellow. The language communities are often shown by these colours.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of FlandersThe flag is yellow, the colour of the Sultan. By custom, ordinary people did not wear yellow in the ruler's presence.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: Flag of BruneiThe national football team plays in a yellow shirt with green trim, the canarinho. It was chosen in a newspaper contest after the 1950 World Cup final was lost in white.
Festival and celebrationPrideJoySource: Brazil national football teamShades and relatives of Naphthomycin A
Naphthomycin A is one member of the naphthomycin group, which share similar chemical structures but may differ in the length or arrangement of their carbon chains. All are part of the wider ansamycin family.
Questions people ask about Naphthomycin A
What colour is Naphthomycin A?
Naphthomycin A is a yellow pigment, meaning it appears yellow in its pure form.
Where does Naphthomycin A come from?
It is isolated from Streptomyces collinus, a bacterium found in soil.
What is special about its structure?
Naphthomycin A has the longest ansa aliphatic carbon chain in the ansamycin family.
What is Naphthomycin A mainly known for?
It is known for its antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activities.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Naphthomycin A", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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