Dipicolinic acid

Dipicolinic acid is a chemical substance, with the chemical formula C₇H₅O₄N·1½H₂O, chemical name pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid, and composes 5% to 15% of the dry weight of bacterial spores. It is implicated as responsible for the heat resistance of the endospore.

However, mutants resistant to heat but lacking dipicolinic acid have been isolated, suggesting other mechanisms contributing to heat resistance are at work.

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