Regulation and molecular biology of prodigiosin by Serratia marcescens

Prodigiosin is an alkaloid, cell-associated, red pigment extensively produced as a secondary metabolite by Gram negative bacterium, Serratia marcescens. The red pigment holds immense recognition for multifunctional tri-pyrrole structure and as a promising candidate for wide array of industrial applications. The biosynthesis and regulation of prodigiosin in S. marcescens is a complex process, manifesting biological information at multiple cellular levels as genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. The current review delves into molecular biology of S. marcescens highlighting it as a prolific producer of prodigiosin. This review also highlights crucial aspects of regulatory mechanisms for prodigiosin production in S. marcescens, along with recent advancements in strain improvement and heterologous production of pigment in industrially compliant host. In addition, this review integrates current knowledge on molecular biology and regulation of prodigiosin, addressing the approaches employed for high level of prodigiosin production, potential applications, challenges and future perspective for harnessing industrial potential of prodigiosin in future.