Biomedical subjects

Klaus Hantke

Publications and source records attributed to Klaus Hantke.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Environmental factors influence the production of enterobactin, salmochelin, aerobactin, and yersiniabactin in Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917.

The probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 produces four siderophores: the catecholates enterobactin and salmochelin, the hydroxamate aerobactin, and the mixed-type siderophore yersiniabactin. We studied the influence of pH, temperature, and carbon source on the production of these four siderophores. Yersiniabactin and salmochelin were maximally produced under neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7.0 and 7.6, respectively), whereas aerobactin was maximally produced at a more acidic pH (pH 5.6), which agrees with the slightly higher complex stability of hydroxamates at acidic pH values compared to the catecholates. Under nearly all conditions studied, catecholate siderophore production was higher with glycerol than with glucose as the carbon source. Yersiniabactin production was also higher with glycerol as the carbon source at pH 7.0. At 42 degrees C, strain Nissle 1917 grew poorly or not at all because of the iron-limiting conditions. In a competition experiment between wild-type strain Nissle 1917 and a mutant of this strain with a deletion in the yersiniabactin operon, the wild-type overgrew the mutant at pH 7.0 and 7.6 and not at pH 5.6. These results agree with yersiniabactin production being of greater advantage at neutral and slightly alkaline pH values. The production of four siderophores may help the probiotic E. coli Nissle 1917 to compete with other E. coli strains in the colon. The probiotic strain Nissle 1917 used in our experiments has many characteristics in common with uropathogenic E. coli and other pathogenic strains which also secrete these siderophores. Uropathogenic E. coli strains may need the multitude of siderophores to adapt to the pH of urine, which varies between pH 4.6 and 8.0.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed2005

The detection of salmochelin and yersiniabactin in uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains by a novel hydrolysis-fluorescence-detection (HFD) method.

Escherichia coli strains produce a variety of structurally different siderophores of which enterobactin, aerobactin and yersiniabactin have been reported earlier to occur in strains of extraintestinal infections. In uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strains novel siderophores, named salmochelins, have recently been identified which contain C-glucosylated 2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl-L-serine (glucosyl-DHB-serine) residues connected in a linear (mono-, di- , trimeric) or cyclic form. We report here on a fast and simple hydrolysis-fluorescence-detection (HFD) method, based on identification of C-glucosylated dihydroxybenzoic acid (glucosyl-DHB). Salmochelin containing culture filtrates were bound to DEAE cellulose spin columns, hydrolyzed and the breakdown products were subsequently identified by HPLC or thin layer chromatography (TLC). The hydrolysis products can be easily detected by their fluorescence, either during HPLC separation connected to a fluorescence detector or after TLC on cellulose plates viewed under a UV254 or UV365 lamp. While DHB originates from the hydrolysis of enterobactin and salmochelin, glucosyl-DHB is only found as a characteristic hydrolysis product of salmochelins (S1, S2, S4). The HFD method allows detection of salmochelin in the presence of other siderophores, such as enterobactin, aerobactin and yersiniabactin. Several clinical UPEC isolates containing the iroN gene cluster were analyzed by this procedure, showing that all isolates were glucosyl-DHB positive indicating salmochelin production, while a collection of other pathogenic E. coli strains (EHEC, EIEC, ETEC, EAggEC and EPEC) were glucosyl-DHB negative. In addition, the HFD method allowed the identification of yersiniabactin due to a fluorescent salicylate-containing degradation product.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed2005

Bacterial zinc uptake and regulators.

Many bacteria use an ABC transporter for high-affinity uptake of zinc with a cluster 9 solute-binding protein. Other members of this protein family transport manganese. At present, it is not always possible to distinguish zinc-specific and manganese-specific transporters on the basis of sequence analysis. Low-affinity ZIP-type zinc transporters in bacteria have also been identified. Most high-affinity zinc uptake systems are regulated by Zur proteins, which form at least three unrelated subgroups of the Fur protein family (regulators of iron transport). High-affinity transport of zinc out of the periplasmic space poses a problem to the cell because zinc is a cofactor of several periplasmic enzymes. Certain zinc-binding proteins in the periplasm might function as chaperones to supply these enzymes with zinc.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed2005

Functions of the siderophore esterases IroD and IroE in iron-salmochelin utilization.

The siderophore salmochelin is produced under iron-poor conditions by Salmonella and many uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains. The production of salmochelin, a C-glucosylated enterobactin, is dependent on the synthesis of enterobactin and the iroBCDEN gene cluster. An E. coli IroD protein with an N-terminal His-tag cleaved cyclic salmochelin S4 to the linear trimer salmochelin S2, the dimer salmochelin S1, and the monomers dihydroxybenzoylserine and C-glucosylated dihydroxybenzoylserine (salmochelin SX, pacifarinic acid). The periplasmic IroE protein was purified as a MalE-IroE fusion protein. This enzyme degraded salmochelin S4 and ferric-salmochelin S4 to salmochelin S2 and ferric-salmochelin S2, respectively. In E. coli, uptake of ferric-salmochelin S4 was dependent on the cleavage by IroE, and independent of the FepBDGC ABC transporter in the cytoplasmic membrane. IroC, which has similarities to ABC-multidrug-resistance proteins, was necessary for the uptake of salmochelin S2 from the periplasm into the cytoplasm. IroE did not function as a classical binding protein since salmochelin S2 was taken up in the absence of a functional IroE protein. IroC mediated the uptake of iron via enterobactin in a fepB mutant. IroE was also necessary in this case for the uptake of ferric-enterobactin, which indicated that only the linear degradation products of enterobactin were taken up via IroC. PfeE, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa IroE homologue, was cloned, and its enzymic activity was shown to be very similar to that of IroE. It is suggested that homologues in other bacteria are also periplasmic IroE-type esterases of siderophores.

Escherichia coli↗

PubMed2004

FhuF, part of a siderophore-reductase system.

FhuF is a cytoplasmic 2Fe-2S protein of Escherichia coli loosely associated with the cytoplasmic membrane. E. coli fhuF mutants showed reduced growth on plates with ferrioxamine B as the sole iron source, although siderophore uptake was not defective in transport experiments. Removal of iron from coprogen, ferrichrome, and ferrioxamine B was significantly lower in fhuF mutants compared to the corresponding parental strains, which suggested that FhuF is involved in iron removal from these hydroxamate-type siderophores. A redox potential E(1/2) of -310 +/- 25 mV relative to the normal hydrogen electrode was determined for FhuF by EPR redox titration; this redox potential is sufficient to reduce the siderophores coprogen and ferrichrome. Mössbauer spectra revealed that FhuF in its [Fe(2+)-Fe(3+)] state is also capable of direct reduction of ferrioxamine B-bound ferric iron, thus proving its reductase function. This is the first report on a bacterial siderophore-iron reductase which in vivo seems to be specific for a certain group of hydroxamates.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

PubMed2004

The structure of salmochelins: C-glucosylated enterobactins of Salmonella enterica.

Salmochelins represent novel carbohydrate containing catecholate siderophores, which are excreted by Salmonella enterica and uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains under low-iron stress. While previous analytical data showed salmochelins to contain 2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl-L-serine and glucose, the molecular structure remained elusive. Structure elucidation with electrospray ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS), GC-MS and 2D-NMR now revealed that salmochelins are enterobactin-related compounds, which are beta-C-glucosylated at the 5-position of a 2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl residue. The key compound salmochelin S4 is a twofold beta-C-glucosylated enterobactin analogue. Comparison of partial structures of salmochelin with a C-glycosylated compound previously characterized by another group strongly suggest that salmochelins represent the long sought compounds termed Salmonella resistance factors (SRF) or pacifarins. Transformation of iro-genes into enterobactin-producing E. coli K12 confers the ability to produce salmochelins. A detailed analysis proved iroB to be the sole gene with glycosyltransferase activity necessary for salmochelin production. Salmochelins compared to enterobactin are the better siderophores in the presence of serum albumin. This may indicate for salmochelins a considerably more important role for pathogenic processes in certain Escherichia coli and Salmonella infections than formerly assigned to enterobactin. This conclusion is supported by the location of the iro genes on pathogenicity islands of uropathogenic E. coli strains.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed2003

Is the bacterial ferrous iron transporter FeoB a living fossil?

The cytoplasmic membrane protein FeoB of Escherichia coli, Helicobacter pylori, Legionella pneumophila and Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 is necessary for Fe(2+) uptake. The C-terminal part of FeoB is predicted to contain 8-12 membrane-spanning helices. The N-terminal domain shows much similarity to eukaryotic and prokaryotic G proteins and, indeed, GTPase activity is necessary for Fe(2+) transport. Four of the five characteristic conserved G protein motifs have been identified in FeoB proteins. Whether FeoB is involved directly, via its Me(2+) binding site, or indirectly in Fe(2+) transport, remains to be investigated.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2002

Members of the Fur protein family regulate iron and zinc transport in E. coli and characteristics of the Fur-regulated fhuF protein.

The regulator Fur represses with Fe2+ as cofactor iron uptake genes. The fhuF gene reacts very sensitive to minor changes of Fe2+ and Fur. It is assumed that FhuF helps in the mobilisation of iron out of the hydroxamate siderophores transported into the cell. Analysis of the protein revealed an unusual [2Fe-2S] cluster bound to a Cys-Cys-X10-Cys-X2-Cys motif in FhuF. suf genes responsible for the synthesis of the iron sulfur center were identified. The Zur protein shows 27% identity to the Fur protein of E. coli. It regulates as a repressor the high affinity uptake system znuACB. Only two additional Zur binding sites in the promoter region of genes with unknown function were found. Properties of Zur and Fur proteins from different bacteria are compared.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ton-dependent colicins and microcins: modular design and evolution.

Ton-dependent colicins and microcins are actively taken up into sensitive cells at the expense of energy which is provided by the proton motive force of the cytoplasmic membrane. The Ton system consisting of the proteins TonB, ExbB and ExbD is required for colicin and microcin import. Colicins as well as the outer membrane transport proteins contain proximal to the N-terminus a short sequence, called TonB box, which interacts with TonB and in which point mutants impair uptake. No TonB box is found in microcins. Colicins are composed of functional modules which during evolution have been interchanged resulting in new colicins. The modules define sites of interaction with the outer membrane transport genes, TonB, the immunity proteins, and the activity regions. Six TonB-dependent microcins with different primary structures are processed and exported by highly homologous proteins. Three of these microcins are modified in an unknown way and they have in common specificity for catecholate siderophore receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗