Isolation of an iron-binding compound from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

An Fe-binding compound was isolated from ethyl acetate extracts of culture supernatant fluids of P. aeruginosa and was purified by successive paper and TLC procedures. The purified compound was characterized by UV, visible, IR and fluorescence spectroscopy. The compound possesses phenolic characteristics, with little or no similarity to dihydroxybenzoates and no indication of a hydroxamate group. P. aeruginosa synthesized the compound during active growth in culture media containing less than 5 .times. 10-6 M added FeCl3. When added to Fe-poor cultures of P. aeruginosa, the compound promoted the growth of the bacterium and also reversed growth inhibition by the Fe chelator ethylenediamine-di-(o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid).