scholarly journals Subcellular Localization of the Staphylococcus aureus Heme Iron Transport Components IsdA and IsdB

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 2624-2634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gleb Pishchany ◽  
Susan E. Dickey ◽  
Eric P. Skaar

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen that represents a tremendous threat to global public health. An important aspect of S. aureus pathogenicity is the ability to acquire iron from its host during infection. In vertebrates, iron is sequestered predominantly within heme, the majority of which is bound by hemoglobin. To acquire iron, S. aureus binds hemoglobin, removes heme, and transports it into the cytoplasm, where heme is degraded. This process is carried out by the iron-regulated surface determinant system (Isd); however, the mechanism by which hemoglobin recognition occurs is not completely understood. Here we report that the surface receptor components of the Isd system, IsdA and IsdB, physically interact with each other and are anchored to a discrete location within the cell wall. This organized localization pattern is dependent upon the iron status of the bacterium. Furthermore, we have found that hemoglobin colocalizes with IsdB at discrete sites within the cell wall. Virulence studies revealed that IsdB is required for the efficient colonization of the heart and that IsdB is differentially expressed within infected organs, suggesting that S. aureus experiences various degrees of iron starvation depending on the site of infection. These findings significantly expand our understanding of hemoglobin iron acquisition and demonstrate an orchestrated pattern of regulation and localization for the S. aureus heme iron acquisition system.

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (9) ◽  
pp. 2779-2784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirokazu Katoh ◽  
Natsu Hagino ◽  
Arthur R. Grossman ◽  
Teruo Ogawa

ABSTRACT Genes encoding polypeptides of an ATP binding cassette (ABC)-type ferric iron transporter that plays a major role in iron acquisition inSynechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 were identified. These genes are slr1295, slr0513, slr0327, and recently reportedsll1878 (Katoh et al., J. Bacteriol. 182:6523–6524, 2000) and were designated futA1, futA2, futB, andfutC, respectively, for their involvement in ferric iron uptake. Inactivation of these genes individually or futA1and futA2 together greatly reduced the activity of ferric iron uptake in cells grown in complete medium or iron-deprived medium. All the fut genes are expressed in cells grown in complete medium, and expression was enhanced by iron starvation. ThefutA1 and futA2 genes appear to encode periplasmic proteins that play a redundant role in iron binding. The deduced products of futB and futC genes contain nucleotide-binding motifs and belong to the ABC transporter family of inner-membrane-bound and membrane-associated proteins, respectively. These results and sequence similarities among the four genes suggest that the Fut system is related to the Sfu/Fbp family of iron transporters. Inactivation of slr1392, a homologue offeoB in Escherichia coli, greatly reduced the activity of ferrous iron transport. This system is induced by intracellular low iron concentrations that are achieved in cells exposed to iron-free medium or in the fut-less mutants grown in complete medium.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Schuelke-Sanchez ◽  
Amanda Cornetta ◽  
Taylor Kocian ◽  
Matthew Conger ◽  
Matthew Liptak

Non-canonical heme oxygenases are enzymes that degrade heme to non-biliverdin products within bacterial heme iron acquisition pathways. These enzymes all contain a conserved second-sphere Trp residue that is essential for enzymatic turnover. Previous studies have revealed several important roles for the conserved second-sphere Trp in Staphylococcus aureus IsdG, S. aureus IsdI, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis MhuD. However, a general model for the geometric, electronic, and functional role of the second-sphere Trp had not been deduced prior to this work. Here, UV/Vis absorption (Abs) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies were employed to show that the W67F variant of IsdG perturbs the heme substrate conformation without altering the protein secondary structure. In general, it can now be stated that a dynamic equilibrium between “planar” and “ruffled” substrate conformations exists within non-canonical heme oxygenases, and that the second-sphere Trp favors population of the “ruffled” substrate conformation. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic CD spectroscopies were used to characterize the electronic structures of IsdG and IsdI variants with different substrate conformational distributions. These data revealed that the “ruffled” substrate conformation promotes partial porphyrin-to-iron electron transfer, which makes the meso carbons of the porphyrin ring susceptible to radical attack. Finally, UV/Vis Abs spectroscopy was utilized to quantify the enzymatic rates, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to identify the product distributions, for variants of IsdG with altered substrate conformational distributions. In general, the rate of heme oxygenation by non-canonical heme oxygenases depends upon the population of the “ruffled” substrate conformation. Also, the production of staphylobilin or mycobilin by these enzymes is correlated with the population of the “ruffled” substrate conformation, since variants that favor population of the “planar” substrate conformation yield significant amounts of biliverdin. These data can be understood within the framework of a concerted rearrangement mechanism for the monooxygenation of heme to meso-hydroxyheme by non-canonical heme oxygenases. However, the mechanisms of IsdG/IsdI and MhuD must diverge following this intermediate in order to generate distinct staphylobilin and mycobilin products, respectively.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izabela Z Batko ◽  
Ronald S Flannagan ◽  
Veronica Guariglia-Oropeza ◽  
Jessica R Sheldon ◽  
David E Heinrichs

The ability to acquire iron is essential for Staphylococcus aureus to cause infection. Respiration deficient S. aureus small colony variants (SCVs) frequently cause persistent infections, which necessitates they too acquire iron. How SCVs obtain iron remains unknown and so here we addressed this outstanding question by creating a stable hemB mutant in S. aureus USA300 strain LAC. The mutant, auxotrophic for hemin, was assessed for its ability to grow under iron-restriction and with various iron sources. The hemB SCV utilizes exogenously supplied heme but was attenuated for growth under conditions of iron starvation. RNA-seq analyses showed that both WT S. aureus and the hemB mutant sense and respond to iron starvation, however, growth assays show that the hemB mutant is defective for siderophore-mediated iron acquisition. Indeed, the hemB SCV demonstrates limited utilization of endogenous staphyloferrin B or exogenously provided staphyloferrin A, Desferal, and epinephrine, which enabled the SCV to sustain only minimal growth in iron deplete media. Direct measurement of intracellular ATP in hemB and WT S. aureus revealed that both strains can generate comparable levels of ATP during exponential growth suggesting defects in ATP production cannot account for the inability to efficiently utilize siderophores. Defective siderophore utilization by hemB bacteria was also evident in vivo. Indeed, the administration of Desferal failed to promote hemB bacterial growth in vivo, in contrast to WT, in every organ analyzed except for the murine kidney where growth was enhanced. In support of the hypothesis that S. aureus accesses heme in kidney abscesses, in vitro analyses revealed that increased heme availability enables hemB bacteria to utilize siderophores for growth when iron availability is restricted. Taken together, our data support the conclusion that heme is not only used as an iron source itself, but as a nutrient that promotes utilization of siderophore-iron complexes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (24) ◽  
pp. 8421-8429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor J. Torres ◽  
Gleb Pishchany ◽  
Munir Humayun ◽  
Olaf Schneewind ◽  
Eric P. Skaar

ABSTRACT The pathogenesis of human infections caused by the gram-positive microbe Staphylococcus aureus has been previously shown to be reliant on the acquisition of iron from host hemoproteins. The iron-regulated surface determinant system (Isd) encodes a heme transport apparatus containing three cell wall-anchored proteins (IsdA, IsdB, and IsdH) that are exposed on the staphylococcal surface and hence have the potential to interact with human hemoproteins. Here we report that S. aureus can utilize the host hemoproteins hemoglobin and myoglobin, but not hemopexin, as iron sources for bacterial growth. We demonstrate that staphylococci capture hemoglobin on the bacterial surface via IsdB and that inactivation of isdB, but not isdA or isdH, significantly decreases hemoglobin binding to the staphylococcal cell wall and impairs the ability of S. aureus to utilize hemoglobin as an iron source. Stable-isotope-tracking experiments revealed removal of heme iron from hemoglobin and transport of this compound into staphylococci. Importantly, mutants lacking isdB, but not isdH, display a reduction in virulence in a murine model of abscess formation. Thus, IsdB-mediated scavenging of iron from hemoglobin represents an important virulence strategy for S. aureus replication in host tissues and for the establishment of persistent staphylococcal infections.


JMS SKIMS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-49
Author(s):  
Javaid Ahmad Bhat ◽  
Shariq Rashid Masoodi

Apropos to the article by Dr Bali, titled “Mupirocin resistance in clinical isolates of methicillin-sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care centre of North India” (1), the authors have raised important issue of emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society. As per WHO, AMR lurks the effective prevention and management of an ever-increasing spectrum of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses. Novel resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening the man’s ability to treat common infectious diseases.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 543
Author(s):  
Ozioma F. Nwabor ◽  
Sukanlaya Leejae ◽  
Supayang P. Voravuthikunchai

As the burden of antibacterial resistance worsens and treatment options become narrower, rhodomyrtone—a novel natural antibiotic agent with a new antibacterial mechanism—could replace existing antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multi-drug resistant Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, rhodomyrtone was detected within the cell by means of an easy an inexpensive method. The antibacterial effects of rhodomyrtone were investigated on epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Thin-layer chromatography demonstrated the entrapment and accumulation of rhodomyrtone within the bacterial cell wall and cell membrane. The incorporation of radiolabelled precursors revealed that rhodomyrtone inhibited the synthesis of macromolecules including DNA, RNA, proteins, the cell wall, and lipids. Following the treatment with rhodomyrtone at MIC (0.5–1 µg/mL), the synthesis of all macromolecules was significantly inhibited (p ≤ 0.05) after 4 h. Inhibition of macromolecule synthesis was demonstrated after 30 min at a higher concentration of rhodomyrtone (4× MIC), comparable to standard inhibitor compounds. In contrast, rhodomyrtone did not affect lipase activity in staphylococci—both epidemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus and S. aureus ATCC 29213. Interfering with the synthesis of multiple macromolecules is thought to be one of the antibacterial mechanisms of rhodomyrtone.


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