Iron Homeostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Mechanistic Insights into Siderophore-Mediated Iron Uptake.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires iron for normal growth but faces a limitation of the metal ion due to its low solubility at biological pH and the withholding of iron by the mammalian host. The pathogen expresses the Fe(3+)-specific siderophores mycobactin and carboxymycobactin to chelate the metal ion from insoluble iron and the host proteins transferrin, lactoferrin, and ferritin. Siderophore-mediated iron uptake is essential for the survival of M. tuberculosis, as knockout mutants, which were defective in siderophore synthesis or uptake, failed to survive in low-iron medium and inside macrophages. But as excess iron is toxic due to its catalytic role in the generation of free radicals, regulation of iron uptake is necessary to maintain optimal levels of intracellular iron. The focus

SUBMITTER: Sritharan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4999934 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature