Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize unique organelles, the magnetosomes, which are intracellular nanometer-sized, membrane-enveloped magnetite. The biomineralization of magnetosomes involves the uptake of large amounts of iron. However, the iron metabolism of MTB is not well understood. The genome of the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1 contains two ferr...

The virulence of Legionella pneumophila is dependent upon its capacity to acquire iron. To identify genes involved in expression of its siderophore, we screened a mutagenized population of L. pneumophila for strains that were no longer able to rescue the growth of a ferrous transport mutant. However, an unusual mutant was obtained that displayed a strong inhibitory effect on the feoB mutant. Du...

Iron is essential for pathogen survival, virulence, and colonization. Feo is suggested to function as the ferrous iron (Fe(2+)) transporter. The enterobacterial Feo system is composed of 3 proteins: FeoB is the indispensable component and is a large membrane protein likely to function as a permease; FeoA is a small Src homology 3 (SH3) domain protein that interacts with FeoB; FeoC is a winged-h...

Primary productivity in at least a third of the sunlit open ocean is thought to be iron-limited. Primary sources of dissolved iron (dFe) to the ocean are hydrothermal venting, flux from the sediments along continental margins, and airborne dust. This article provides a general review of sources of hydrothermal and sedimentary iron to the ocean, and speculates upon the role that iron-cycling mic...

The PhoP/PhoQ two-component system controls several physiological and virulence functions in Salmonella enterica. This system is activated by low Mg(2+), acidic pH, and antimicrobial peptides, but the biological consequences resulting from sensing multiple signals are presently unclear. Here, we report that the PhoP/PhoQ system regulates different Salmonella genes depending on whether the induc...

Zetaproteobacteria are among the most prevalent Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) at deep-sea hydrothermal vents; however, knowledge about their environmental significance is limited. We provide metagenomic insights into an iron mat at the Lō´ihi Seamount, Hawai´l, revealing novel genomic information of locally dominant Zetaproteobacteria lineages. These lineages were previously estimated to acc...

In an attempt to identify components of a ferric citrate uptake system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a mutant library of a siderophore-deficient strain (IA614) was constructed and screened for defects in citrate-promoted growth in an Fe-restricted medium. A mutant disrupted in gene PA3901, encoding a homologue of the outer-membrane ferric citrate receptor, FecA, of Escherichia coli (FecA(E.c.)), w...

24 Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize unique organelles, the magnetosomes, 25 which are intracellular nanometer-sized, membrane-enveloped magnetite. The 26 biomineralization of magnetosomes involves the uptake large amounts of iron. 27 However, the iron metabolism of MTB is not well understood. The genome of the 28 magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1 conta...