The primary function of glutathione in bacterial stress response is:
Glutathione is a low-molecular-weight tripeptide gamma-glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine present at millimolar concentrations up to 10 mM in many Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and few Gram-positives that synthesize it via GshA and GshB. Reduced form GSH serves as major thiol buffer and electron donor protecting against reactive oxygen species generated continuously by endogenous respiratory electron transport and by host immune oxidative burst involving NADPH oxidase-dependent production of superoxide during phagocytosis. It directly scavenges superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical and
Ref: Prescott's Microbiology, 11th ed., Chapter 7: Glutathione and Oxidative Stress Protection in Bacteria.
