Siderophore Production by Pseudomonas stutzeri under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions

The siderophore production of the facultative anaerobe Pseudomonas stutzeri, strain CCUG 36651, grown under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, was investigated by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The bacterial strain has been isolated at a 626-m depth at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, where experiments concerning the geological disposal of nuclear waste are performed. In bacterial culture extracts, the iron in the siderophore complexes was replaced by gallium to facilitate siderophore identification by mass spectrometry. P. stutzeri was shown to produce ferrioxamine E (nocardamine) as the main siderophore together with ferrioxamine G and two cyclic ferrioxamines having molecular masses 14 and 28 atomic mass units lower than that of ferrioxamine E, suggested to be ferrioxamine D₂ and ferrioxamine X₁, respectively. In contrast, no siderophores were observed from anaerobically grown P. stutzeri. None of the siderophores produced by aerobically grown P. stutzeri were found in anaerobic natural water samples from the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory.     

Utilization of microbial siderophores in iron acquisition by oat

Iron uptake by oat (Avena sativa cv Victory) was examined under hydroponic chemical conditions that required direct utilization of microbial siderophores for iron transport. Measurements of iron uptake rates by excised roots from the hydroxamate siderophores, ferrichrome, ferrichrome A, coprogen, ferrioxamine B (FOB), and rhodotorulic acid (RA) showed all five of the siderophores supplied iron, but that FOB and RA were preferentially utilized. FOB-mediated iron uptake increased four-fold when roots were preconditioned to iron stress and involved an active, iron-stress induced transport system that was inhibited by 5 millimolar sodium azide or 0.5 millimolar dinitrophenol. Kinetic studies indicated partial saturation with an apparent K_m of 5 micromolar when FOB was supplied at 0.1 to 50 micromolar concentrations. Whole plant experiments confirmed that 5 micromolar FOB was sufficient for plant growth. Siderophore-mediated iron transport was inhibited by Cr-ferrichrome, an analog of ferrated siderophore. Our results confirm the existence of a microbial siderophore iron transport system in oat which functions within the physiological concentrations produced and used by soil microorganisms.     

Iron Uptake in Ustilago maydis: Tracking the Iron Path

In this study, we monitored and compared the uptake of iron in the fungus Ustilago maydis by using biomimetic siderophore analogs of ferrichrome, the fungal native siderophore, and ferrioxamine B (FOB), a xenosiderophore. Ferrichrome-iron was taken up at a higher rate than FOB-iron. Unlike ferrichrome-mediated uptake, FOB-mediated iron transport involved an extracellular reduction mechanism. By using fluorescently labeled siderophore analogs, we monitored the time course, as well as the localization, of iron uptake processes within the fungal cells. A fluorescently labeled ferrichrome analog, B9-lissamine rhodamine B, which does not exhibit fluorescence quenching upon iron binding, was used to monitor the entry of the compounds into the fungal cells. The fluorescence was found intracellularly 4 h after the application and later was found concentrated in two to three vesicles within each cell. The fluorescence of the fluorescently labeled FOB analog CAT18, which is quenched by iron, was visualized around the cell membrane after 4 h of incubation with the ferrated (nonfluorescent) compounds. This fluorescence intensity increased with time, demonstrating fungal iron uptake from the siderophores, which remained extracellular. We here introduce the use of fluorescent biomimetic siderophores as tools to directly track and discriminate between different pathways of iron uptake in cells.     

Isolation and identification of ferrioxamine G and E inHafnia alvei

Summary Under conditions of iron-deprivationHafnia alvei (Enterobacteriaceae) produces ferrioxamine G as the principal siderophore. Maximum hydroxamate siderophore production occurred at medium iron limitation. The ferrioxamines were extracted, purified by gel filtration and chromatography on silica gel yielding a major and a minor siderophore fraction. The minor siderophore fraction contained three siderophores, among which ferrioxamine E could be identified by HPLC and FAB mass spectrometry. Reductive hydrolysis of the ferrioxamine G fraction yielded succinic acid and a mixture of diaminopentane and diaminobutane, as determined by gas-liquid chromatography and GLC/MS. HPLC and FAB mass spectrometry confirmed that the ferrioxamine G fraction consisted of two different species, G₁ and G₂, possessing molecular masses of 671 Da and 658 Da respectively.     

Catecholate Siderophores Protect Bacteria from Pyochelin Toxicity

Background

Bacteria produce small molecule iron chelators, known as siderophores, to facilitate the acquisition of iron from the environment. The synthesis of more than one siderophore and the production of multiple siderophore uptake systems by a single bacterial species are common place. The selective advantages conferred by the multiplicity of siderophore synthesis remains poorly understood. However, there is growing evidence suggesting that siderophores may have other physiological roles besides their involvement in iron acquisition.

Methods and Principal Findings

Here we provide the first report that pyochelin displays antibiotic activity against some bacterial strains. Observation of differential sensitivity to pyochelin against a panel of bacteria provided the first indications that catecholate siderophores, produced by some bacteria, may have roles other than iron acquisition. A pattern emerged where only those strains able to make catecholate-type siderophores were resistant to pyochelin. We were able to associate pyochelin resistance to catecholate production by showing that pyochelin-resistant Escherichia coli became sensitive when biosynthesis of its catecholate siderophore enterobactin was impaired. As expected, supplementation with enterobactin conferred pyochelin resistance to the entE mutant. We observed that pyochelin-induced growth inhibition was independent of iron availability and was prevented by addition of the reducing agent ascorbic acid or by anaerobic incubation. Addition of pyochelin to E. coli increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) while addition of ascorbic acid or enterobactin reduced them. In contrast, addition of the carboxylate-type siderophore, citrate, did not prevent pyochelin-induced ROS increases and their associated toxicity.

Conclusions

We have shown that the catecholate siderophore enterobactin protects E. coli against the toxic effects of pyochelin by reducing ROS. Thus, it appears that catecholate siderophores can behave as protectors of oxidative stress. These results support the idea that siderophores can have physiological roles aside from those in iron acquisition.     

Fate of ferrisiderophores after import across bacterial outer membranes: different iron release strategies are observed in the cytoplasm or periplasm depending on the siderophore pathways

Siderophore production and utilization is one of the major strategies deployed by bacteria to get access to iron, a key nutrient for bacterial growth. The biological function of siderophores is to solubilize iron in the bacterial environment and to shuttle it back to the cytoplasm of the microorganisms. This uptake process for Gram-negative species involves TonB-dependent transporters for translocation across the outer membranes. In Escherichia coli and many other Gram-negative bacteria, ABC transporters associated with periplasmic binding proteins import ferrisiderophores across cytoplasmic membranes. Recent data reveal that in some siderophore pathways, this step can also be carried out by proton-motive force-dependent permeases, for example the ferrichrome and ferripyochelin pathways in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Iron is then released from the siderophores in the bacterial cytoplasm by different enzymatic mechanisms depending on the nature of the siderophore. Another strategy has been reported for the pyoverdine pathway in P. aeruginosa: iron is released from the siderophore in the periplasm and only siderophore-free iron is transported into the cytoplasm by an ABC transporter having two atypical periplasmic binding proteins. This review presents recent findings concerning both ferrisiderophore and siderophore-free iron transport across bacterial cytoplasmic membranes and considers current knowledge about the mechanisms involved in iron release from siderophores.     

Identification of a fungal triacetylfusarinine C siderophore transport gene (TAF1) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a member of the major facilitator superfamily

Transport proteins of microorganisms may either belong to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily or to the major facilitator (MFS)-superfamily. MFS transporters are single-polypeptide membrane transporters that transport small molecules via uniport, symport or antiport mechanisms in response to a chemiosmotic gradient. Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a non-siderophore producer, various bacterial and fungal siderophores can be utilized as an iron source. From yeast genome sequencing data six genes of the unknown major facilitator (UMF) family were known of which YEL065w Sce was recently identified as a transporter for the bacterial siderophore ferrioxamine B (Sit1p). The present investigation shows that another UMF gene, YHL047c Sce, encodes a transporter for the fungal siderophore triacetylfusarinine C. The gene YHL047c Sce (designated TAF1) was disrupted using the kanMX disruption module in a fet3 background (strain DEY 1394 fet3), possessing a defect in the high affinity ferrous iron transport. Growth promotion assays and transport experiments with ⁵⁵Fe-labelled triacetylfusarinine C showed a complete loss of iron utilization and uptake in the disrupted strain, indicating that TAF1 is the gene for the fungal triacetylfusarinine transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and possibly in other siderophore producing fungi.     

Variation in Siderophore Biosynthetic Gene Distribution and Production across Environmental and Faecal Populations of Escherichia coli

Iron is essential for Escherichia coli growth and survival in the host and the external environment, but its availability is generally low due to the poor solubility of its ferric form in aqueous environments and the presence of iron-withholding proteins in the host. Most E. coli can increase access to iron by excreting siderophores such as enterobactin, which have a very strong affinity for Fe³⁺. A smaller proportion of isolates can generate up to 3 additional siderophores linked with pathogenesis; aerobactin, salmochelin, and yersiniabactin. However, non-pathogenic E. coli are also able to synthesise these virulence-associated siderophores. This raises questions about their role in the ecology of E. coli, beyond virulence, and whether specific siderophores might be linked with persistence in the external environment. Under the assumption that selection favours phenotypes that confer a fitness advantage, we compared siderophore production and gene distribution in E. coli isolated either from agricultural plants or the faeces of healthy mammals. This population-level comparison has revealed that under iron limiting growth conditions plant-associated isolates produced lower amounts of siderophores than faecal isolates. Additionally, multiplex PCR showed that environmental isolates were less likely to contain loci associated with aerobactin and yersiniabactin synthesis. Although aerobactin was linked with strong siderophore excretion, a significant difference in production was still observed between plant and faecal isolates when the analysis was restricted to strains only able to synthesise enterobactin. This finding suggests that the regulatory response to iron limitation may be an important trait associated with adaptation to the non-host environment. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the ability to produce multiple siderophores facilitates E. coli gut colonisation and plays an important role in E. coli commensalism.     

The heterologous siderophores ferrioxamine B and ferrichrome activate signaling pathways in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes two siderophores, pyoverdine and pyochelin, under iron-limiting conditions. These siderophores are recognized at the cell surface by specific outer membrane receptors, also known as TonB-dependent receptors. In addition, this bacterium is also able to incorporate many heterologous siderophores of bacterial or fungal origin, which is reflected by the presence of 32 additional genes encoding putative TonB-dependent receptors. In this work, we have used a proteomic approach to identify the inducing conditions for P. aeruginosa TonB-dependent receptors. In total, 11 of these receptors could be discerned under various conditions. Two of them are only produced in the presence of the hydroxamate siderophores ferrioxamine B and ferrichrome. Regulation of their synthesis is affected by both iron and the presence of a cognate siderophore. Analysis of the P. aeruginosa genome showed that both receptor genes are located next to a regulatory locus encoding an extracytoplasmic function sigma factor and a transmembrane sensor. The involvement of this putative regulatory locus in the specific induction of the ferrioxamine B and ferrichrome receptors has been demonstrated. These results show that P. aeruginosa has evolved multiple specific regulatory systems to allow the regulation of TonB-dependent receptors.     

Fe(III)-complexes of the tripodal trishydroxamate siderophore basidiochrome: potential biological implications

One method of mobilization of iron by mycorrhizal organisms is through the secretion of small organic chelators called siderophores. Hydroxamate donor chelators are a common type of siderophore that is frequently used by fungal organisms. The primary siderophore that is produced by fungi from the genera Ceratobasidium and Rhizoctonia is the tripodal trishydroxamate siderophore basidiochrome. To gain some insight into the iron uptake mechanisms of these symbiotic fungi, the iron binding characteristics of basidiochrome were determined. It was found that basidiochrome exhibits a log β₁₁₀ of 27.8 ± 0.1 and a pFe value of 25.0. These values are similar to those of another fungal trishydroxamate siderophore, ferrichrome. The similarity in iron affinity between the two siderophores suggests that the structure of the backbone has little influence in complex formation due to the length of the pendant arms, although the identity of the terminating groups of the pendant arms is likely related to complex stability. The role of basidiochrome in the biogeochemical cycling of iron is also discussed.     

Root-microbial effects on plant iron uptake from siderophores and phytosiderophores

Collaborative experiments were conducted to determine whether microbial populations associated with plant roots may artifactually affect the rates of Fe uptake and translocation from microbial siderophores and phytosiderophores. Results showed nonaxenic maize to have 2 to 34-fold higher Fe-uptake rates than axenically grown plants when supplied with 1 μM Fe as either the microbial siderophore, ferrioxamine B (FOB), or the barley phytosiderophore, epi-hydroxymugineic acid (HMA). In experiments with nonsterile plants, inoculation of maize or oat seedlings with soil microorganisms and amendment of the hydroponic nutrient solutions with sucrose resulted in an 8-fold increase in FOB-mediated Fe-uptake rates by Fe-stressed maize and a 150-fold increase in FOB iron uptake rates by Fe-stressed oat, but had no effect on iron uptake by Fe-sufficient plants. Conversely, Fe-stressed maize and oat plants supplied with HMA showed decreased uptake and translocation in response to microbial inoculation and sucrose amendment. The ability of root-associated microorganisms to affect Fe-uptake rates from siderophores and phytosiderophores, even in short-term uptake experiments, indicates that microorganisms can be an unpredictable confounding factor in experiments examining mechanisms for utilization of microbial siderophores or phytosiderophores under nonsterile conditions.     

Role of Nitrosomonas europaea NitABC iron transporter in the uptake of Fe3+-siderophore complexes

Nitrosomonas europaea has a single three-gene operon (nitABC) encoding an iron ABC transporter system (NitABC). Phylogenetic analysis clustered the subunit NitB with Fe³⁺-ABC transporter permease components from other organisms. The N. europaea strain deficient in nitB (nitB::kan) grew well in either Fe-replete or Fe-limited media and in Fe-limited medium containing the catecholate-type siderophore, enterobactin or the citrate-based dihydroxamate-type siderophore, aerobactin. However, the nitB::kan mutant strain was unable to grow in Fe-limited media containing either the hydroxamate-type siderophores, ferrioxamine and ferrichrome or the mixed-chelating type siderophore, pyoverdine. Exposure of N. europaea cells to a ferrichrome analog coupled to the fluorescent moiety naphthalic diimide (Fhu-NI) led to increase in fluorescence in the wild type but not in nitB::kan mutant cells. Spheroplasts prepared from N. europaea wild type exposed to Fhu-NI analog retained the fluorescence, while spheroplasts of the nitB::kan mutant were not fluorescent. NitABC transports intact Fe³⁺-ferrichrome complex into the cytoplasm and is an atypical ABC type iron transporter for Fe³⁺ bound to ferrioxamine, ferrichrome or pyoverdine siderophores into the cytoplasm. The mechanisms to transport iron in either the Fe³⁺ or Fe²⁺ forms or Fe³⁺ associated with enterobactin or aerobactin siderophores into the cell across the cytoplasmic membrane are as yet undetermined.     

Characterization of Iron Uptake from Ferrioxamine B by Chlorella vulgaris

Iron uptake from two Fe³⁺-hydroxamate siderophores, ferrioxamine B and Fe³⁺-rhodotorulate, by iron-stressed Chlorella vulgaris (ATCC strain 11468) was evaluated with some comparison to iron uptake from synthetic and organic acid ferric chelates. Iron-stress induced iron uptake from ferrioxamine B. Dissipation of the electrochemical gradient, via uncouplers, inhibited iron uptake. Respiratory inhibitors gave variable results, an indication that a direct link to respiration was not apparent. Vanadate inhibition of iron uptake indicated that an ATPase or phosphate intermediate could be involved in the uptake mechanism. Divalent cations manifested variable effects dependent on the cation and chelator used. These data confirm that C. vulgaris has an inducible iron-uptake system for Fe³⁺-hydroxamic acid siderophores which may involve a different mechanism than that observed for other chelates.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of siderophores from fungi

Summary A reversed-phase HPLC separation of iron(III) chelates of 16 representative fungal siderophores including ferrichromes, coprogens and triacetylfusarinine C was established in order to investigate siderophore production of fungi. For comparison purposes, the widely used bacterial siderophore ferrioxamine B was included. Culture filtrates of the fungiPenicillium resticulosum, Fusarium dimerum, Aspergillus fumigatus andNeurospora crassa were quantitatively analyzed for the presence of known and unknown siderophores after growth in low-iron culture media and adsorption on XAD-2 columns using this HPLC separation system. Photodiode array detection allowed the distinction between siderophores and non-siderophores. According to their ultraviolet/visible spectra, a further classification of the siderophores into four types due to the number of anhydromevalonic acid residues per molecule (0–3) was possible.     

Fob1 and Fob2 Proteins Are Virulence Determinants of Rhizopus oryzae via Facilitating Iron Uptake from Ferrioxamine

Dialysis patients with chronic renal failure receiving deferoxamine for treating iron overload are uniquely predisposed for mucormycosis, which is most often caused by Rhizopus oryzae. Although the deferoxamine siderophore is not secreted by Mucorales, previous studies established that Rhizopus species utilize iron from ferrioxamine (iron-rich form of deferoxamine). Here we determined that the CBS domain proteins of Fob1 and Fob2 act as receptors on the cell surface of R. oryzae during iron uptake from ferrioxamine. Fob1 and Fob2 cell surface expression was induced in the presence of ferrioxamine and bound radiolabeled ferrioxamine. A R. oryzae strain with targeted reduced Fob1/Fob2 expression was impaired for iron uptake, germinating, and growing on medium with ferrioxamine as the sole source of iron. This strain also exhibited reduced virulence in a deferoxamine-treated, but not the diabetic ketoacidotic (DKA), mouse model of mucormycosis. The mechanism by which R. oryzae obtains iron from ferrioxamine involves the reductase/permease uptake system since the growth on ferrioxamine supplemented medium is associated with elevated reductase activity and the use of the ferrous chelator bathophenanthroline disulfonate abrogates iron uptake and growth on medium supplemented with ferrioxamine as a sole source of iron. Finally, R. oryzae mutants with reduced copies of the high affinity iron permease (FTR1) or with decreased FTR1 expression had an impaired iron uptake from ferrioxamine in vitro and reduced virulence in the deferoxamine-treated mouse model of mucormycosis. These two receptors appear to be conserved in Mucorales, and can be the subject of future novel therapy to maintain the use of deferoxamine for treating iron-overload.     

Siderophore-mediated iron uptake in different strains of Anabaena sp.

Anabaena sp. strain 6411, which produces the dihydroxamate siderophore schizokinen to facilitate iron uptake, is also capable of using the related siderophore aerobactin. The two siderophores compete for the same iron transport system, but there is a markedly higher affinity for ferric schizokinen than for ferric aerobactin. The trihydroxamate siderophore ferrioxamine B is far less effective as an iron donor in this organism. Anabaena sp. strain 7120 appears to be closely related to strain 6411. It synthesizes schizokinen as its major siderophore and shows rates of iron uptake from ferric schizokinen, ferric aerobactin, and ferrioxamine B which are similar to those observed with strain 6411. Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. 7122 and 1611, on the other hand, differ from strain 6411. In contrast to schizokinen, the hydroxamate which they produce in response to iron starvation cannot be extracted with water from the organic layer and does not support the growth of the siderophore auxotroph Arthrobacter flavescens JG-9. Strain 7122 can use its endogenous siderophore or schizokinen to promote iron uptake, but at 50-fold-lower rates than are observed with Anabaena sp. strain 6411 or 7120.     

The Fe2+ Chelator Proferrorosamine A Is Essential for the Siderophore-Mediated Uptake of Iron by Pseudomonas roseus fluorescens

Pseudomonas roseus fluorescens produces, besides the Fe²⁺ chelator proferrorosamine A, Fe³⁺ -chelating compounds, called siderophores. The production of proferrorosamine A and siderophores by P. roseus fluorescens appears to be controlled in a similar way by the concentration of available iron and by the concentration of dissolved oxygen. The higher the concentration of iron available for the microorganism, the lower the production of both chelating compounds. However, the production of siderophores was much more sensitive to iron availability than was proferrorosamine A production. Proferrorosamine A and siderophores were only produced in minimal medium C if the concentration of dissolved oxygen ranged from 4.5 to 2.0 ppm. At higher or lower concentrations, none of the iron-chelating compounds were produced. Furthermore, it has been shown that proferrorosamine-negative Tn5 mutants of P. roseus fluorescens were able to form siderophores only under iron-limiting conditions when proferrorosamine A was added to the medium. Our data suggest that proferrorosamine A production is essential for siderophore synthesis by P. roseus fluorescens; the production of siderophores occurred only when proferrorosamine A was present.     

Identification of a siderophore utilization locus in nontypeable <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haemophilus influenzae</Emphasis>

Background  

Haemophilus influenzae has an absolute aerobic growth requirement for either heme, or iron in the presence of protoporphyrin IX. Both iron and heme in the mammalian host are strictly limited in their availability to invading microorganisms. Many bacterial species overcome iron limitation in their environment by the synthesis and secretion of small iron binding molecules termed siderophores, which bind iron and deliver it into the bacterial cell via specific siderophore receptor proteins on the bacterial cell surface. There are currently no reports of siderophore production or utilization by H. influenzae.     

Ferrioxamine-Mediated Iron(III) Utilization by Salmonella enterica

Utilization of ferrioxamines as sole sources of iron distinguishes Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhimurium and Enteritidis from a number of related species, including Escherichia coli. Ferrioxamine supplements have therefore been used in preenrichment and selection media to increase the bacterial growth rate while selectivity is maintained. We characterized the determinants involved in utilization of ferrioxamines B, E, and G by S. enterica serotype Typhimurium by performing siderophore cross-feeding bioassays. Transport of all three ferric siderophores across the outer membrane was dependent on the FoxA receptor encoded by the Fur-repressible foxA gene. However, only the transport of ferrioxamine G was dependent on the energy-transducing protein TonB, since growth stimulation of a tonB strain by ferrioxamines B and E was observed, albeit at lower efficiencies than in the parental strain. Transport across the inner membrane was dependent on the periplasmic binding protein-dependent ABC transporter complex comprising FhuBCD, as has been reported for other hydroxamate siderophores of enteric bacteria. The distribution of the foxA gene in the genus Salmonella, as indicated by DNA hybridization studies and correlated with the ability to utilize ferrioxamine E, was restricted to subspecies I, II, and IIIb, and this gene was absent from subspecies IIIa, IV, VI, and VII (formerly subspecies IV) and Salmonella bongori (formerly subspecies V). S. enterica serotype Typhimurium mutants with either a transposon insertion or a defined nonpolar frameshift (+2) mutation in the foxA gene were not able to utilize any of the three ferrioxamines tested. A strain carrying the nonpolar foxA mutation exhibited a significantly reduced ability to colonize rabbit ileal loops compared to the foxA⁺ parent. In addition, a foxA mutant was markedly attenuated in mice inoculated by either the intragastric or intravenous route. Mice inoculated with the foxA mutant were protected against subsequent challenge by the foxA⁺ parent strain.