Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a Model Gastrointestinal Tract Species, Prefers Heme as an Iron Source, Yields Protoporphyrin IX as a Product, and Acts as a Heme Reservoir
Margaux Meslé, Chase R. Gray, Mensur Dlakić, Jennifer L. DuBois
Abstract
Research on bacterial iron metabolism has historically focused on the host-pathogen relationship, where the host suppresses pathogen growth by cutting off access to iron. Less is known about how host iron is shared with bacterial species that live commensally in the anaerobic human GI tract, typified by members of phylum Bacteroidetes .
Topics & Concepts
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicronHemePathogenBacteroidetesGastrointestinal tractProtoporphyrin IXBiologyBacteroidesProtoporphyrinMicrobiologySymbiosisHost (biology)BacteriaZoologyEcologyBiochemistryChemistryGenetics16S ribosomal RNAPorphyrinOrganic chemistryPhotodynamic therapyEnzymeGut microbiota and healthClostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens researchGenomics and Phylogenetic Studies