Pulcherriminic acid modulates iron availability and protects against oxidative stress during microbial interactions.

ABSTRACT: Siderophores are soluble or membrane-embedded molecules that bind the oxidized form of iron, Fe(III), and play roles in iron acquisition by microorganisms. Fe(III)-bound siderophores bind to specific receptors that allow microbes to acquire iron. However, certain soil microbes release a compound (pulcherriminic acid, PA) that, upon binding to Fe(III), forms a precipitate (pulcherrimin) that apparently functions by reducing iron availability rather than contributing to iron acquisition. Here, we use Bacillus subtilis (PA producer) and Pseudomonas protegens as a competition model to show that PA is involved in a peculiar iron-managing system. The presence of the competitor induces PA production, leading to precipitation of Fe(III) as pulcherrimin, which prevents oxidative stress in B. subtil

SUBMITTER: Charron-Lamoureux V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10156857 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature