Involvement of reductases IruO and NtrA in iron acquisition by Staphylococcus aureus

To obtain host iron, Staphylococcus aureus secretes siderophores staphyloferrin A (SA) or staphyloferrin B (SB), and accesses heme iron through use of iron-regulated surface determinant proteins. While iron transport in S. aureus is well documented, there is scant information about proteins required to access iron from complexes in the cytoplasm. In vitro studies identified a pyridine nucleotide-disulfide oxidoreductase, named IruO, as an electron donor for the heme monooxygenases IsdG and IsdI, promoting heme degradation. Here, we show that an iruO mutant was not debilitated for growth on heme, suggesting involvement of another reductase. NtrA is an iron-regulated nitroreductase and, as with the iruO mutant, a ntrA mutant grew on heme comparable with wild type (WT). In contrast, a iruO ntrA double mutant was severely debilitated for growth on heme, a phenotype that was complemented by expression of either iruO or ntrA in trans, demonstrating their overlapping role in heme-iron utilization. Contrasting the involvement of multiple reductases for heme iron utilization, ntrA was shown essential for iron utilization using SA, although not SB or other siderophores tested, and an iruO mutant was incapable of deferoxamine-mediated growth. Accordingly, virulence of WT S. aureus, but not an iruO mutant, was enhanced in mice receiving deferoxamine.