The sbiTRS Operon Contributes to Stenobactin-Mediated Iron Utilization in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Iron is an essential micronutrient for various bacterial cellular processes. Fur is a global transcriptional regulator participating in iron homeostasis. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a ubiquitous environmental bacterium that has emerged as an opportunistic pathogen. To elucidate the novel regulatory mechanism behind iron homeostasis in S. maltophilia, wild-type KJ and KJΔFur, a fur mutant, were subjected to transcriptome assay. A five-gene cluster, sbiBA-sbiTRS, was significantly upregulated in KJΔFur. SbiAB is an ATP type efflux pump, SbiT is an inner membrane protein, and SbiSR is a two-component regulatory system (TCS). The sbiTRS operon organization was verified by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Localization prediction and bacterial two-hybrid studies revealed that SbiT resided in the inner membrane and had an intramembrane interaction with SbiS. In iron-replete conditions, SbiT interacted with SbiS and maintained SbiSR TCS in a resting state. In response to iron depletion stress, SbiT no longer interacted with SbiS, leading to SbiSR TCS activation. The iron source utilization assay demonstrated the contribution of SbiSR TCS to stenobactin-mediated ferric iron utilization but notto the utilization of hemin and ferric citrate. Furthermore, SmeDEF and SbiAB pumps, known stenobactin secretion outlets, were members of the SbiSR regulon. Collectively, in an iron-depleted condition, SbiSR activation is regulated by Fur at the transcriptional level and by SbiT at the posttranslational level. Activated SbiSR contributes to stenobactin-mediated ferric iron utilization by upregulating the smeDEF and sbiAB operons. SbiSR is the first TCS found to be involved in iron homeostasis in S. maltophilia. IMPORTANCE Therapeutic options for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections are limited because S. maltophilia is intrinsically resistant to several antibiotics. Iron is an essential element for viability, but iron overload is a lethal threat to bacteria. Therefore, disruption of iron homeostasis can be an alternative strategy to cope with S. maltophilia infection. The intricate regulatory networks involved in iron hemostasis have been reported in various pathogens; however, little is known about S. maltophilia. Herein, a novel sbiTRS operon, a member of Fur regulon, was characterized. SbiT, an inner membrane protein, negatively modulated the SbiSR two-component regulatory system by intramembrane protein-protein interaction with SbiS. In response to iron-depleted stress, SbiSR was activated via the regulation of Fur and SbiT. Activated SbiSR upregulated smeDEF and sbiAB, which contributed to stenobactin-mediated ferric iron utilization. A novel fur-sbiT-sbiSR-smeDEF/sbiAB regulatory circuit in S. maltophilia was revealed.