Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Competitive Growth Advantage of Non-pigmented Serratia marcescens Mutants.

ABSTRACT: Serratia marcescens is a common bacterium well-known for the red secondary metabolite prodigiosin. However, color mutants have long been described. Non-pigmented strains can be found to exist both naturally and under laboratory conditions. It is unclear why S. marcescens loses prodigiosin synthesis capacity in certain conditions. In the present study, we find that the spontaneous color mutants arise within a few generations (about five passages) and rapidly replace the wild-type parent cells (about 24 passages), which indicates a growth advantage of the former. Although, the loss of prodigiosin synthesis genes (pigA-N) is frequently reported as the major reason for pigment deficiency, it was unexpected that the whole gene cluster is completely preserved in the differen

SUBMITTER: Xiang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8764370 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature