Coveted red dye may owe its origins to a hidden fungal partner in lac insects
The colorful pigment extracted from the lac insect may actually be produced by a symbiotic yeast-like organism living inside the insect, a new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has found. The team showed that the yeast-like organism exclusively harbors genes coding for key ingredients in the pigment synthesis pathway.
The colorful pigment extracted from the lac insect may actually be produced by a symbiotic yeast-like organism living inside the insect, a new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has found. The team showed that the yeast-like organism exclusively harbors genes coding for key ingredients in the pigment synthesis pathway.
