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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a Bioindicator for Zinc-Limited Growth Conditions in Mycobacteria
Published on: September 20, 2024
The main pigment of the dormant Mycobacterium smegmatis is porphyrin
V D Nikitushkin1, M O Shleeva2, A I Zinin3
1A.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.
Abstract:
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 on 1H-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.
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