The production of cochliodinol and a related metabolite by Chaetomium species.

A purple pigment, named cochliodinol, C32H32N2O4, has been isolated from three isolates of Chaetomium cochliodes and from two isolates of Chaetomium globosum. The pigment is produced intracellularly on a wide range of media in quantities up to 0.45 mg/ml. The rate of production for a given isolate is proportional to its growth but such proportionality is not observed when one isolate is compared to another. A second, fluorescent pigment, C32 H28N2O4, is produced by those isolates that produce cochliodinol but in 1/500 of the yield.