The structure of the bacterial iron-catecholate transporter Fiu suggests that it imports substrates via a two-step mechanism

Abstract

The ferric iron uptake (Fiu) transporter from Escherichia coli functions in the transport of iron-catecholate complexes across the bacterial outer membrane, providing the bacterium with iron, which is essential for growth. Recently it has become clear that Fiu also represents a liability for E. coli because its activity allows import of antimicrobialcompoundsthatmimiccatecholate. This inadvertent import suggests the potential utility of antimicrobial catechol siderophore mimetics in managing bacterial infections. However, to fully exploit these compounds, a detailed understanding of the mechanism of transport through Fiu and related transporters is required. To address this question, we dete..