This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mouriño, S. Articles by Lemos, M. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mouriño, S. Articles by Lemos, M. L.

Characterization of Heme Uptake Cluster Genes in the Fish Pathogen Vibrio anguillarum

Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Institute of Aquaculture and Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Received 25 May 2004/ Accepted 25 June 2004

Vibrio anguillarum can utilize hemin and hemoglobin as sole iron sources. In previous work we identified HuvA, the V. anguillarum outer membrane heme receptor by complementation of a heme utilization mutant with a cosmid clone (pML1) isolated from a genomic library of V. anguillarum. In the present study, we describe a gene cluster contained in cosmid pML1, coding for nine potential heme uptake and utilization proteins: HuvA, the heme receptor; HuvZ and HuvX; TonB, ExbB, and ExbD; HuvB, the putative periplasmic binding protein; HuvC, the putative inner membrane permease; and HuvD, the putative ABC transporter ATPase. A V. anguillarum strain with an in-frame chromosomal deletion of the nine-gene cluster was impaired for growth with heme or hemoglobin as the sole iron source. Single-gene in-frame deletions were constructed, demonstrating that each of the huvAZBCD genes are essential for utilization of heme as an iron source in V. anguillarum, whereas huvX is not. When expressed in Escherichia coli hemA (strain EB53), a plasmid carrying the gene for the heme receptor, HuvA, was sufficient to allow the use of heme as the porphyrin source. For utilization of heme as an iron source in E. coli ent (strain 101ESD), the tonB exbBD and huvBCD genes were required in addition to huvA. The V. anguillarum heme uptake cluster shows some differences in gene arrangement when compared to homologous clusters described for other Vibrio species.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Balado, M., Osorio, C. R., Lemos, M. L. (2008). Biosynthetic and regulatory elements involved in the production of the siderophore vanchrobactin in Vibrio anguillarum. Microbiology 154: 1400-1413 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Balado, M., Osorio, C. R., Lemos, M. L. (2006). A gene cluster involved in the biosynthesis of vanchrobactin, a chromosome-encoded siderophore produced by Vibrio anguillarum. Microbiology 152: 3517-3528 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ridley, K. A., Rock, J. D., Li, Y., Ketley, J. M. (2006). Heme Utilization in Campylobacter jejuni. J. Bacteriol. 188: 7862-7875 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Osorio, C. R., Juiz-Rio, S., Lemos, M. L. (2006). A siderophore biosynthesis gene cluster from the fish pathogen Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida is structurally and functionally related to the Yersinia high-pathogenicity island.. Microbiology 152: 3327-3341 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mourino, S., Rodriguez-Ares, I., Osorio, C. R., Lemos, M. L. (2005). Genetic Variability of the Heme Uptake System among Different Strains of the Fish Pathogen Vibrio anguillarum: Identification of a New Heme Receptor. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 8434-8441 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wyckoff, E. E., Lopreato, G. F., Tipton, K. A., Payne, S. M. (2005). Shigella dysenteriae ShuS Promotes Utilization of Heme as an Iron Source and Protects against Heme Toxicity. J. Bacteriol. 187: 5658-5664 [Abstract] [Full Text]