The vitamin ergothioneine: an antioxidant for oxygen-free areas?

(University of Basel) Chemists at the University of Basel have been able to show for the first time that anaerobic bacteria can produce the vitamin ergothioneine in the absence of oxygen. This suggests that bacteria were forming this compound even before there was oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. The vitamin's function therefore remains a mystery, as it was previously ascribed a role in oxygen-dependent processes.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news