A novel nicotianamine-based metallophore in pathogenic bacteria – ANIBAL

Ensuring the availability of a given metal for growth is a vital microbial process, especially critical when the source becomes scarce like inside a host. Here, we present a project that is dedicated to the study of an operon expected to encode the different functions required for the synthesis, export and recovery of a novel bacterial metallophore analogous to plant nicotianamine. Preliminary studies indicate that this system is functional, dedicated to the import of nickel and cobalt, and that the transporters are important for the virulence of S. aureus. Our objective is to study this novel metallophore in S. aureus and P. aeruginosa through biochemical, genetic and metabolomics approaches. We will determine the structure of the metallophore, study the mechanism and regulation of this system, define the biochemical and structural basis of the biosynthetic machinery and finally determine the importance of the metallophore synthesis in the virulence of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.