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Updated: Apr 16, 2026

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
Published on: February 19, 2019
Bacterial iron-sulfur cluster sensors in mammalian pathogens
Halie K Miller1, Victoria Auerbuch
1Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. vastone@ucsc.edu.
Abstract:
Iron-sulfur clusters act as important cofactors for a number of transcriptional regulators in bacteria, including many mammalian pathogens. The sensitivity of iron-sulfur clusters to iron availability, oxygen tension, and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species enables bacteria to use such regulators to adapt their gene expression profiles rapidly in response to changing environmental conditions. In this review, we discuss how the [4Fe-4S] or [2Fe-2S] cluster-containing regulators FNR, Wbl, aconitase, IscR, NsrR, SoxR, and AirSR contribute to bacterial pathogenesis through control of both metabolism and classical virulence factors. In addition, we briefly review mammalian iron homeostasis as well as oxidative/nitrosative stress to provide context for understanding the function of bacterial iron-sulfur cluster sensors in different niches within the host.
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