This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental material
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Pishchany, G.
Right arrow Articles by Skaar, E. P.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Pishchany, G.
Right arrow Articles by Skaar, E. P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, July 2009, p. 2624-2634, Vol. 77, No. 7
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01531-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Subcellular Localization of the Staphylococcus aureus Heme Iron Transport Components IsdA and IsdB{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Gleb Pishchany, Susan E. Dickey, and Eric P. Skaar*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2605

Received 17 December 2008/ Returned for modification 28 January 2009/ Accepted 16 April 2009

Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen that represents a tremendous threat to global public health. An important aspect of S. aureus pathogenicity is the ability to acquire iron from its host during infection. In vertebrates, iron is sequestered predominantly within heme, the majority of which is bound by hemoglobin. To acquire iron, S. aureus binds hemoglobin, removes heme, and transports it into the cytoplasm, where heme is degraded. This process is carried out by the iron-regulated surface determinant system (Isd); however, the mechanism by which hemoglobin recognition occurs is not completely understood. Here we report that the surface receptor components of the Isd system, IsdA and IsdB, physically interact with each other and are anchored to a discrete location within the cell wall. This organized localization pattern is dependent upon the iron status of the bacterium. Furthermore, we have found that hemoglobin colocalizes with IsdB at discrete sites within the cell wall. Virulence studies revealed that IsdB is required for the efficient colonization of the heart and that IsdB is differentially expressed within infected organs, suggesting that S. aureus experiences various degrees of iron starvation depending on the site of infection. These findings significantly expand our understanding of hemoglobin iron acquisition and demonstrate an orchestrated pattern of regulation and localization for the S. aureus heme iron acquisition system.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical School, 21st Avenue South, Medical Center North, Room A-5102A, Nashville, TN 37232. Phone: (615) 343-0002. Fax: (615) 343-7392. E-mail: Eric.Skaar{at}vanderbilt.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 27 April 2009.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://iai.asm.org/.

Editor: A. Camilli

Infection and Immunity, July 2009, p. 2624-2634, Vol. 77, No. 7
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01531-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»