Structure of prodigiosin from Serratia marcescens NJZT-1 and its cytotoxicity on TSC2-null cells

Abstract Prodigiosin, a secondary metabolite extracted from Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens), could induce apoptosis in various cancer cells, with however low toxicity on normal cells. The red pigment was extracted from a strain S. marcescens NJZT-1 isolated from soil, which had antibacterial activity. Spectral analyses (LC-ESI-MS, UV-VIS spectrophotometry, infrared spectra and HPLC) and TLC indicated the presence of prodigiosin in the extracellular bacterial culture extracts. The red pigment effectively killed the TSC2-null cells, whose mutation resulted in the progressive and systemic dis...