Hybrid cluster proteins and flavodiiron proteins afford protection to Desulfovibrio vulgaris upon macrophage infection.

Desulfovibrio species are Gram-negative anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria that colonize the human gut. Recently, Desulfovibrio spp. have been implicated in gastrointestinal diseases and shown to stimulate the epithelial immune response, leading to increased production of inflammatory cytokines by macrophages.

Bacterioferritin protects the anaerobe Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough against oxygen.

Intracellular free iron, is under aerobic conditions and via the Fenton reaction a catalyst for the formation of harmful reactive oxygen species. In this article, we analyzed the relation between intracellular iron storage and oxidative stress response in the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, an anaerobe that is often found in oxygenated niches. To this end, we investigated the role of the iron storage protein bacterioferritin using transcriptomic and physiological approaches.