Iron acquisition in Bacillus cereus: the roles of IlsA and bacillibactin in exogenous ferritin iron mobilization.

ABSTRACT: In host-pathogen interactions, the struggle for iron may have major consequences on the outcome of the disease. To overcome the low solubility and bio-availability of iron, bacteria have evolved multiple systems to acquire iron from various sources such as heme, hemoglobin and ferritin. The molecular basis of iron acquisition from heme and hemoglobin have been extensively studied; however, very little is known about iron acquisition from host ferritin, a 24-mer nanocage protein able to store thousands of iron atoms within its cavity. In the human opportunistic pathogen Bacillus cereus, a surface protein named IlsA (Iron-regulated leucine rich surface protein type A) binds heme, hemoglobin and ferritin in vitro and is involved in virulence. Here, we demonstrate that IlsA acts as a ferritin

SUBMITTER: Segond D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3923779 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature