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Role of Iron Homeostasis in the Multispecies Biofilm Formation

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Abstract

Iron acquisition is of fundamental importance for microorganisms, since this metal is generally poorly bioavailable under natural conditions. Fe is mostly present as a ferric form in soils, which strongly limits its bioavailability, while most soil bacteria are tightly packed within multicellular communities named biofilms. This research showed that biofilm formation by a gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis during the interactions with other microbial species was both essential to ensure Fe uptake from the environment and to maintain the cellular Fe homeostasis. The biofilm matrix appeared to play an important role, favoring the efficient usage of siderophores. Taken together, these results demonstrate a close link between biofilm formation and iron acquisition in B. subtilis and Escherichia coli, allowing a better comprehension of how bacteria can cope with metal limitation under environmental conditions.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science under the National Program “Young Scientists and Postdoctoral Students-2.”

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  1. Faculty of Technics and Technologies of Yambol, Trakia University of Stara Zagora, 8602, Yambol, Bulgaria

    Ivo Ganchev

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Correspondence to Ivo Ganchev.

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The author declares that he has no conflicts of interest. The author declares no conflicts of interest. This article does not contain any studies involving human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Ganchev, I. Role of Iron Homeostasis in the Multispecies Biofilm Formation. Microbiology 92, 675–685 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S002626172360163X

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