During Stationary Phase, Group Members of Serratia Produce Prodigiosins That

Essay

During stationary phase, group members of Serratia produce prodigiosins that contain pyrrole. Considering its structural relatedness to other pyrrole-containing molecules of known function (e.g., chlorophylls, bacteriochlorophylls, porphyrins), propose a potential ecological role for these compounds in soil where they are involved in something other than photosynthesis.