Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Staphylococcus aureus Growth using Human Hemoglobin as an Iron Source
Published on: February 7, 2013
Staphylococcus aureus SufT: an essential iron-sulphur cluster assembly factor in cells experiencing a high-demand for
Ameya A Mashruwala1, Christina A Roberts1, Shiven Bhatt1
1Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
Abstract:
Staphylococcus aureus SufT is composed solely of the domain of unknown function 59 (DUF59) and has a role in the maturation of iron-sulphur (Fe-S) proteins. We report that SufT is essential for S. aureus when growth is heavily reliant upon lipoamide-utilizing enzymes, but dispensable when this reliance is decreased. LipA requires Fe-S clusters for lipoic acid (LA) synthesis and a ΔsufT strain had phenotypes suggestive of decreased LA production and decreased activities of lipoamide-requiring enzymes. Fermentative growth, a null clpC allele, or decreased flux through the TCA cycle diminished the demand for LA and rendered SufT non-essential. Abundance of the Fe-S cluster carrier Nfu was increased in a ΔclpC strain and a null clpC allele was unable to suppress the LA requirement of a ΔsufT Δnfu strain. Over-expression of nfu suppressed the LA requirement of the ΔsufT strain. We propose a model wherein SufT, and by extension the DUF59, is essential for the maturation of holo-LipA in S. aureus cells experiencing a high demand for lipoamide-dependent enzymes. The findings presented suggest that the demand for products of Fe-S enzymes is a factor governing the usage of one Fe-S cluster assembly factor over another in the maturation of apo-proteins.
Related Concept Videos
Sulfur Assimilation
Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
Protein Complex Assembly
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...
Protein Complex Assembly
Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order...

