Date of Award

1-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Uranga, Romina

Area of Concentration

Biochemistry, Computer Science Secondary Field

Abstract

Prodigiosin, a natural product of several marine bacteria, has become a popular molecule for study, given its many pharmaceutical effects. However, most studies on optimizing its yield through biosynthesis have focused on Serratia marcescens, leaving a gap in knowledge for other prodigiosin-producing bacteria. Therefore, a preliminary study was done to determine the effects of oxygen availability and MgCl2 concentration on Zooshikella Marine Isolate 3 prodigiosin production. Additionally, computational work was done to construct three-dimensional structures of PPA2382 and PPA1266, a putative oxidative stress response σ factor-anti σ pair encoded by Cutibacterium acnes. The models were then characterized via classical molecular dynamics simulations with the GROMACS package, and prodigiosin docked via AutoDock4Zn. Magnesium chloride was found to worsen prodigiosin biosynthesis, and the simulated models did not behave according to experimental expectations. Regardless, predicted docking locations of prodigiosin suggested the metabolite to be capable of affecting interactions between PPA2382 and PPA1266.

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