Bacterial solutions to the iron-supply problem
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Updated: Oct 23, 2026

Staphylococcus aureus Growth using Human Hemoglobin as an Iron Source
Published on: February 7, 2013
1Lehrstuhl Mikrobiologie/Membranphysiologie, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany. volkmar.braun@mikrobio.uni-tuebingen.de
Abstract:
The insolubility of Fe3+ necessitates special mechanisms for iron acquisition in most organisms. Bacteria use siderophores to chelate Fe3+ and iron in heme, hemoglobin, transferrin and lactoferrin, and employ novel mechanisms for receptor-dependent iron transport and iron-regulated gene expression. These mechanisms involve transfer of energy from the cytoplasmic membrane to the outer membrane to drive active transport and might induce transcription of transport genes by transmitting a signal from the cell surface.
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