Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1987 Mar;55(3):594–599. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.3.594-599.1987

Virulence of iron transport mutants of Shigella flexneri and utilization of host iron compounds.

K M Lawlor, P A Daskaleros, R E Robinson, S M Payne
PMCID: PMC260379  PMID: 3028962

Abstract

Mutants of Shigella flexneri defective in aerobactin-mediated iron transport were assayed for virulence in several model systems. A Tn5 insertion mutant was invasive in HeLa cells, lethal in the chicken embryo, and produced keratoconjunctivitis in the guinea pig, indicating little or no loss of ability to invade and multiply intracellularly. Although the mutant failed to grow in low-iron medium in vitro, growth equivalent to that of the wild type was observed in HeLa cell lysates. Thus, there appears to be sufficient available iron inside the HeLa cell to allow growth in the absence of siderophore synthesis. Possible host iron sources were tested, and both the mutant and wild type utilized hemin or hematin as a sole source of iron. Only the wild-type, aerobactin-producing strain could remove iron from transferrin or lactoferrin. Two deletion mutants were also assayed for virulence and were found to be avirulent for the chicken embryo. These deletions encompass flanking sequences as well as the aerobactin genes; therefore, adjacent genes may be required for virulence.

Full text

PDF
594

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Atkin C. L., Neilands J. B., Phaff H. J. Rhodotorulic acid from species of Leucosporidium, Rhodosporidium, Rhodotorula, Sporidiobolus, and Sporobolomyces, and a new alanine-containing ferrichrome from Cryptococcus melibiosum. J Bacteriol. 1970 Sep;103(3):722–733. doi: 10.1128/jb.103.3.722-733.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benjamin W. H., Jr, Turnbough C. L., Jr, Posey B. S., Briles D. E. The ability of Salmonella typhimurium to produce the siderophore enterobactin is not a virulence factor in mouse typhoid. Infect Immun. 1985 Nov;50(2):392–397. doi: 10.1128/iai.50.2.392-397.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bochner B. R., Huang H. C., Schieven G. L., Ames B. N. Positive selection for loss of tetracycline resistance. J Bacteriol. 1980 Aug;143(2):926–933. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.2.926-933.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Braun V., Burkhardt R. Regulation of the ColV plasmid-determined iron (III)-aerobactin transport system in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1982 Oct;152(1):223–231. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.1.223-231.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carbonetti N. H., Williams P. H. A cluster of five genes specifying the aerobactin iron uptake system of plasmid ColV-K30. Infect Immun. 1984 Oct;46(1):7–12. doi: 10.1128/iai.46.1.7-12.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cowart R. E., Foster B. G. Differential effects of iron on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes: minimum requirements and mechanism of acquisition. J Infect Dis. 1985 Apr;151(4):721–730. doi: 10.1093/infdis/151.4.721. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Formal S. B., Hale T. L., Sansonetti P. J. Invasive enteric pathogens. Rev Infect Dis. 1983 Sep-Oct;5 (Suppl 4):S702–S707. doi: 10.1093/clinids/5.supplement_4.s702. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Griffiths E., Stevenson P., Hale T. L., Formal S. B. Synthesis of aerobactin and a 76,000-dalton iron-regulated outer membrane protein by Escherichia coli K-12-Shigella flexneri hybrids and by enteroinvasive strains of Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1985 Jul;49(1):67–71. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.1.67-71.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hale T. L., Formal S. B. Protein synthesis in HeLa or Henle 407 cells infected with Shigella dysenteriae 1, Shigella flexneri 2a, or Salmonella typhimurium W118. Infect Immun. 1981 Apr;32(1):137–144. doi: 10.1128/iai.32.1.137-144.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Herrington D. A., Sparling P. F. Haemophilus influenzae can use human transferrin as a sole source for required iron. Infect Immun. 1985 Apr;48(1):248–251. doi: 10.1128/iai.48.1.248-251.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kado C. I., Liu S. T. Rapid procedure for detection and isolation of large and small plasmids. J Bacteriol. 1981 Mar;145(3):1365–1373. doi: 10.1128/jb.145.3.1365-1373.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Konopka K., Bindereif A., Neilands J. B. Aerobactin-mediated utilization of transferrin iron. Biochemistry. 1982 Dec 7;21(25):6503–6508. doi: 10.1021/bi00268a028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lawlor K. M., Payne S. M. Aerobactin genes in Shigella spp. J Bacteriol. 1984 Oct;160(1):266–272. doi: 10.1128/jb.160.1.266-272.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mickelsen P. A., Blackman E., Sparling P. F. Ability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, and commensal Neisseria species to obtain iron from lactoferrin. Infect Immun. 1982 Mar;35(3):915–920. doi: 10.1128/iai.35.3.915-920.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mickelsen P. A., Sparling P. F. Ability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, and commensal Neisseria species to obtain iron from transferrin and iron compounds. Infect Immun. 1981 Aug;33(2):555–564. doi: 10.1128/iai.33.2.555-564.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Neilands J. B. Microbial iron compounds. Annu Rev Biochem. 1981;50:715–731. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.50.070181.003435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Payne S. M., Finkelstein R. A. Detection and differentiation of iron-responsive avirulent mutants on Congo red agar. Infect Immun. 1977 Oct;18(1):94–98. doi: 10.1128/iai.18.1.94-98.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Payne S. M., Finkelstein R. A. The critical role of iron in host-bacterial interactions. J Clin Invest. 1978 Jun;61(6):1428–1440. doi: 10.1172/JCI109062. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Payne S. M., Niesel D. W., Peixotto S. S., Lawlor K. M. Expression of hydroxamate and phenolate siderophores by Shigella flexneri. J Bacteriol. 1983 Sep;155(3):949–955. doi: 10.1128/jb.155.3.949-955.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Payne S. M. Synthesis and utilization of siderophores by Shigella flexneri. J Bacteriol. 1980 Sep;143(3):1420–1424. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.3.1420-1424.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Perry R. D., Brubaker R. R. Accumulation of iron by yersiniae. J Bacteriol. 1979 Mar;137(3):1290–1298. doi: 10.1128/jb.137.3.1290-1298.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Perry R. D., San Clemente C. L. Siderophore synthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Shigella sonnei during iron deficiency. J Bacteriol. 1979 Dec;140(3):1129–1132. doi: 10.1128/jb.140.3.1129-1132.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. SERENY B. Experimental keratoconjunctivitis shigellosa. Acta Microbiol Acad Sci Hung. 1957;4(4):367–376. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sansonetti P. J., Ryter A., Clerc P., Maurelli A. T., Mounier J. Multiplication of Shigella flexneri within HeLa cells: lysis of the phagocytic vacuole and plasmid-mediated contact hemolysis. Infect Immun. 1986 Feb;51(2):461–469. doi: 10.1128/iai.51.2.461-469.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sigel S. P., Stoebner J. A., Payne S. M. Iron-vibriobactin transport system is not required for virulence of Vibrio cholerae. Infect Immun. 1985 Feb;47(2):360–362. doi: 10.1128/iai.47.2.360-362.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Weinberg E. D. Iron and infection. Microbiol Rev. 1978 Mar;42(1):45–66. doi: 10.1128/mr.42.1.45-66.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Williams P. H. Novel iron uptake system specified by ColV plasmids: an important component in the virulence of invasive strains of Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1979 Dec;26(3):925–932. doi: 10.1128/iai.26.3.925-932.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES