Biology of Metals 1988-01-01

Characterization of ferrioxamine E as the principal siderophore of Erwinia herbicola (Enterobacter agglomerans).

I Berner, S Konetschny-Rapp, G Jung, G Winkelmann

Index: Biol. Met. 1(1) , 51-6, (1988)

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Abstract

Several strains of the enterobacterial group Erwinia herbicola (Enterobacter agglomerans) were screened for siderophore production. After 3 days of growth in a low-iron medium, all strains studied produced hydroxamate siderophores. The retention values of the main siderophore during thin-layer chromatography on silica gel plates and on HPLC reversed-phase columns were identical with those of an authentic sample of ferrioxamine E (norcardamine). Gas-chromatographic analysis of the HI hydrolyzate yielded succinic acid and 1,5-diaminopentane in equimolar amounts; fast-atom-bombardment (FAB) mass spectroscopy showed a molecular mass of 653 Da. Iron from 55Fe-labelled ferrioxamine E was well taken up by iron-starved cells of E. herbicola (Km = 0.1 microM, Vmax = 8 pmol mg-1 min-1). However, besides ferrioxamine E (100%), several exogenous siderophores such as enterobactin (94.5%), ferric citrate (78.5%), coprogen (63.5%) and ferrichrome (17.5%) served as siderophores, suggesting the presence of multiple siderophore receptors in the outer membrane of E. herbicola.