Utilization of lactoferrin-bound and transferrin-bound iron by Campylobacter jejuni.

Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 was capable of growth to levels comparable with FeSO4 in defined iron-limited medium (minimal essential medium alpha [MEMalpha]) containing ferrilactoferrin, ferritransferrin, or ferri-ovotransferrin. Iron was internalized in a contact-dependent manner, with 94% of cell-associated radioactivity from either 55Fe-loaded transferrin or lactoferrin associated with the soluble cell fraction. Partitioning the iron source away from bacteria significantly decreased cellular growth.

Heme utilization in Campylobacter jejuni.

A putative iron- and Fur-regulated hemin uptake gene cluster, composed of the transport genes chuABCD and a putative heme oxygenase gene (Cj1613c), has been identified in Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168. Mutation of chuA or Cj1613c leads to an inability to grow in the presence of hemin or hemoglobin as a sole source of iron. Mutation of chuB, -C, or -D only partially attenuates growth where hemin is the sole iron source, suggesting that an additional inner membrane (IM) ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transport system(s) for heme is present in C.