The main pigment of the dormant Mycobacterium smegmatis is porphyrin.
Upon transition of Mycobacterium smegmatis into the dormant state, accumulation of a dark brown fluorescent pigment was observed. This pigment gave bright red fluorescence in both cells and the culture medium. Based on1H-NMR, MALDI and UV spectra, the fluorescent compounds, extracted from the culture medium as well as from the dormant cells, were concluded to be a mixture of free coproporphyrin III and uroporphyrin III and their corresponding methyl esters. A possible significance of porphyrin pigment accumulation in the dormant cells is discussed.
A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre 'Fundamentals of Biotechnology' of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 33, build. 2, 119071, Moscow, Russia vadimchemist@gmail.com.
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Nikitushkin
A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre 'Fundamentals of Biotechnology' of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 33, build. 2, 119071, Moscow, Russia.
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Shleeva
Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 47, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
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Zinin
A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre 'Fundamentals of Biotechnology' of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 33, build. 2, 119071, Moscow, Russia.
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Trutneva
A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre 'Fundamentals of Biotechnology' of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 33, build. 2, 119071, Moscow, Russia.
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Ostrovsky
A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre 'Fundamentals of Biotechnology' of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 33, build. 2, 119071, Moscow, Russia.
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Kaprelyants
D003306:Coproporphyrins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D005453:Fluorescence; D020102:Mycobacterium smegmatis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D014578:Uroporphyrins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification
D003306:Coproporphyrins; D003470:Culture Media; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D011166:Porphyrins; D014578:Uroporphyrins; C026971:coproporphyrin III; C022181:uroporphyrin III
MALDI; Mycobacteria; Mycobacterium smegmatis; dormancy; pigmentation; porphyrins