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Power plays: iron transport and energy transduction in pathogenic vibrios

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Abstract

The Vibrios are a unique group of bacteria inhabiting a vast array of aquatic environments. Many Vibrio species are capable of infecting a wide assortment of hosts. Some of these species include V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, V. vulnificus, V. anguillarum, and V. cholerae. The ability of these organisms to utilize iron is essential in establishing both an infection in their hosts as well as surviving in the environment. Bacteria are able to sequester iron through the secretion of low molecular weight iron chelators termed siderophores. The iron-siderophore complexes are bound by specific outer membrane receptors and are brought through both the outer and inner membranes of the cell. The energy needed to drive this active transport is achieved through the TonB energy transduction system. When first elucidated in E. coli, the TonB system was shown to be a three protein complex consisting of TonB, ExbB and ExbD. Most Vibrio species carry two TonB systems. The second TonB system includes a fourth protein; TtpC, which is essential for TonB2 mediated iron transport. Some Vibrio species have been shown to carry a third TonB system that also includes a TtpC protein.

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Acknowledgments

The research from our laboratory presented in this review was funded by NIH Grants 5RO1-AI 019018 and 5RO1-AI 065981 to JHC. Ryan J. Kustusch was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship training grant and Carole J Kuehl by a graduate student training grant both from the NIH 5T32-AI 007472-13.

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  1. Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Science University, Mail Code L220, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97201-3098, USA

    Ryan J. Kustusch, Carole J. Kuehl & Jorge H. Crosa

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  1. Ryan J. Kustusch
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  2. Carole J. Kuehl
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  3. Jorge H. Crosa
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Correspondence to Ryan J. Kustusch.

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Kustusch, R.J., Kuehl, C.J. & Crosa, J.H. Power plays: iron transport and energy transduction in pathogenic vibrios. Biometals 24, 559–566 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-011-9437-2

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