ArticleInfection and immunity2013
Secreted pyomelanin of Legionella pneumophila promotes bacterial iron uptake and growth under iron-limiting conditions.
Article in Infection and immunity, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Dismantling darkness: interdisciplinary perspectives on melanin degradation.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2026Review
- A bacterial toxin-antitoxin system involved in an unusual response to genotoxic stress.EMBO reports · 2025Article
- Legionella pneumophila Rhizoferrin Promotes Bacterial Biofilm Formation and Growth within Amoebae and Macrophages.Infection and immunity · 2023Article
- Complete Genome Sequence of Legionella cardiaca Strain H63Microbiology resource announcements · 2023Article
- Heterologous production and characterization of a pyomelanin of Antarctic Pseudomonas sp. ANT_H4: a metabolite protecting against UV and free radicals, interacting with iron from minerals and exhibiting priming properties toward plant hairy roots.Microbial cell factories · 2022Article
- New insights and advances on pyomelanin production: from microbial synthesis to applications.Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology · 2022Review
- Pyomelanin produced by Streptomyces sp. ZL-24 and its protective effects against SH-SY5Y cells injury induced by hydrogen peroxide.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Production and properties of non-cytotoxic pyomelanin by laccase and comparison to bacterial and synthetic pigments.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Brought to you courtesy of the red, white, and blue-pigments of nontuberculous mycobacteria.AIMS microbiology · 2020Article
- Isolation and characterization of a novel bacterial strain from a Tris-Acetate-Phosphate agar medium plate of the green micro-algaF1000Research · 2020Article
- The iron-regulated vacuolarProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2019Article
- HoweLife · 2019Article
- Assessing the impact, genomics and evolution of type II secretion across a large, medically important genus: the Legionella type II secretion paradigm.Microbial genomics · 2019Article
- Density-dependent resistance protectseLife · 2019Article
- Bacterial Enzymes Catalyzing the Synthesis of 1,8-Dihydroxynaphthalene, a Key Precursor of Dihydroxynaphthalene Melanin, from Sorangium cellulosum.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2018Article
- Pyomelanin from Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica reduces biofouling.Microbial biotechnology · 2017Article
- Article
- Biofilm Formation and Heat Stress Induce Pyomelanin Production in Deep-SeaFrontiers in microbiology · 2017Article
- Iron Limitation Triggers Early Egress by the Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen Legionella pneumophila.Infection and immunity · 2016Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Iron acquisition is critical to the growth and virulence of Legionella pneumophila. Previously, we found that L. pneumophila uses both a ferrisiderophore pathway and ferrous iron transport to obtain iron. We now report that two molecules secreted by L. pneumophila, homogentisic acid (HGA) and its polymerized variant (HGA-melanin, a pyomelanin), are able to directly mediate the reduction of various ferric iron salts. Furthermore, HGA, synthetic HGA-melanin, and HGA-melanin derived from bacterial supernatants enhanced the ability of L. pneumophila and other species of Legionella to take up radiolabeled iron. Enhanced iron uptake was not observed with a ferrous iron transport mutant. Thus, HGA and HGA-melanin mediate ferric iron reduction, with the resulting ferrous iron being available to the bacterium for uptake. Upon further testing of L. pneumophila culture supernatants, we found that significant amounts of ferric and ferrous iron were associated with secreted HGA-melanin. Importantly, a pyomelanin-containing fraction obtained from a wild-type culture supernatant was able to stimulate the growth of iron-starved legionellae. That the corresponding supernatant fraction obtained from a nonpigmented mutant culture did not stimulate growth demonstrated that HGA-melanin is able to both promote iron uptake and enhance growth under iron-limiting conditions. Indicative of a complementary role in iron acquisition, HGA-melanin levels were inversely related to the levels of siderophore activity. Compatible with a role in the ecology and pathogenesis of L. pneumophila, HGA and HGA-melanin were effective at reducing and releasing iron from both insoluble ferric hydroxide and the mammalian iron chelates ferritin and transferrin.
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