Shellfish purple, also known as Tyrian purple and royal purple, has a long history, which has been revealed and documented in recent years through valid physicochemical studies using sophisticated techniques. This study supports a potential role for symbiotic Bacillus spp. cultured in tryptone broth, supplemented with KBr, confirmed their ability to produce the brominated precursor to Tyrian purple, tyrindoxyl sulphate. LC–MS analysis of the supernatant and cell pellets from the bromoperoxidase producing Bacillus spp. The two Bacillus species were the only isolates found to have coding sequences for bromoperoxidase enzymes. These included 26 Vibrio spp., two Bacillus spp., one Phaeobacter sp., one Shewanella sp., one Halobacillus sp. orbita hypobranchial glands, using marine agar, marine agar with hypobranchial gland aqueous extracts, blood agar, thiosulphate citrate bile salts sucrose agar, and cetrimide agar at pH 7.2. In total, 32 bacterial isolates were cultured from D. The ability of bromoperoxidase positive isolates to produce the brominated indole precursor to Tyrian purple was then established by extraction of the culture, and analysis by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). This study aimed to culture bacterial symbionts from the purple producing hypobranchial gland, and screen the isolates for bromoperoxidase genes using molecular methods. A possible role for symbiotic bacteria in the production of tyrindoxyl sulphate, the precursor to Tyrian purple stored in the Australian species, Dicathais orbita, has been proposed.

The biosynthetic origin of Tyrian purple in Muricidae molluscs is not currently known. The secondary metabolite Tyrian purple, also known as shellfish purple and royal purple, is a dye with historical importance for humans.

Tyrian 2000 art