Divide and conquer: genetics, mechanism, and evolution of the ferrous iron transporter Feo in Helicobacter pylori.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Feo is the most widespread and conserved system for ferrous iron uptake in bacteria, and it is important for virulence in several gastrointestinal pathogens. However, its mechanism remains poorly understood. Hitherto, most studies regarding the Feo system were focused on Gammaproteobacterial models, which possess three feo genes (feoA, B, and C) clustered in an operon. We found that the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori possesses a unique arrangement of the feo genes, in which only feoA and feoB are present and encoded in distant loci. In this study, we examined the functional significance of this arrangement.

Methods

Requirement and regulation of the individual H. pylori feo genes were assessed through

SUBMITTER: Gomez-Garzon C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10353542 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature