Iron Homeostasis in Bacillus subtilis Requires Siderophore Production and Biofilm Formation

• Adrien Rizzi ^[2] ; Sébastien Roy ^[1] ; Jean-Philippe Bellenger ^[1] ; Pascale B. Beauregard ^[1]
  1. [1] Université de Sherbrooke

     Université de Sherbrooke

     CA.10.05.43027, Canadá

     
  2. [2] a Centre SÈVE, Département de chimie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada; b Centre SÈVE, Département de biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
• Localización: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, ISSN 0099-2240, Vol. 85, Nº 3, 2019
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Iron acquisition is of fundamental importance for microorganisms, since this metal is generally poorly bioavailable under natural conditions. In the environment, most bacteria are found tightly packed within multicellular communities named biofilms. Here, using the soil Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, we show that biofilm formation and the production of siderophores, i.e., small molecules specifically binding metals, are both essential to ensure Fe uptake from the medium and maintain cellular Fe homeostasis. The biofilm matrix appears to play an important role favoring the efficient usage of siderophores. Taken together, our results demonstrate a close link between biofilm formation and iron acquisition in B. subtilis, allowing a better comprehension of how bacteria can cope with metal limitation under environmental conditions.