FIGURE 1.

Schematic representation of critical iron acquisition mechanisms and pathways in bacteria. Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria have evolved multiple sophisticated systems to acquire iron from the environment, including trivalent iron containing siderophores, hemes, heme proteins, heme analogues, and transferrin/lactoferrin. Due to the similarity between gallium and iron, the above pathways are also suitable for gallium transport, providing the possibility of targeted therapy for gallium (Seyoum et al., 2021).