Yersinia high pathogenicity island genes modify the Escherichia coli primary metabolome independently of siderophore production.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial siderophores may enhance pathogenicity by scavenging iron, but their expression has been proposed to exert a substantial metabolic cost. Here we describe a combined metabolomic-genetic approach to determine how mutations affecting the virulence-associated siderophore yersiniabactin affect the Escherichia coli primary metabolome. Contrary to expectations, we did not find yersiniabactin biosynthesis to correspond to consistent metabolomic shifts. Instead, we found that targeted deletion of ybtU or ybtA, dissimilar genes with similar roles in regulating yersiniabactin expression, were associated with a specific shift in arginine pathway metabolites during growth in minimal media. This interaction was associated with high arginine levels in the model uropathogen Escherichia coli UTI8

SUBMITTER: Lv H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3626101 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature