Cited by 221Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyInvertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Disrupts Caenorhabditis elegans Iron Homeostasis, Causing a Hypoxic Response and Death

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Kirienko, Natalia V., Kirienko, Daniel R., Larkins-Ford, Jonah, Wählby, Carolina, Ruvkun, Gary, Ausubel, Frederick M.·2013·Cell Host & Microbe

Abstract

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes serious human infections, but effective treatments and the mechanisms mediating pathogenesis remain elusive. Caenorhabditis elegans shares innate immune pathways with humans, making it invaluable to investigate infection. To determine how P. aeruginosa disrupts host biology, we studied how P. aeruginosa kills C. elegans in a liquid-based pathogenesis model. We found that P. aeruginosa-mediated killing does not require quorum-sensing pathways or host colonization. A chemical genetic screen revealed that iron chelators alleviate P. aeruginosa-mediated killing. Consistent with a role for iron in P. aeruginosa pathogenesis, the bacterial siderophore pyoverdin was required for virulence and was sufficient to induce a hypoxic response and death in the absence of bacteria. Loss of the C. elegans hypoxia-inducing factor HIF-1, which regulates iron homeostasis, exacerbated P. aeruginosa pathogenesis, further linking hypoxia and killing. As pyoverdin is indispensable for virulence in mice, pyoverdin-mediated hypoxia is likely to be relevant in human pathogenesis.

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  • Pyoverdin, a siderophore produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, elicits host cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans by inducing a hypoxic response dependent on HIF-1.

    “Pyoverdin, one of two siderophores produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, elicits host cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans by induction of a hypoxic response dependent on the iron-responsive transcription factor HIF-1 (Kirienko et al., 2013).”

    From Iron in infection and immunity (2013) · cites this paper as Kirienko et al., 2013

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Authors
Kirienko, N. V., Kirienko, D. R., Larkins-Ford, J., Wählby, C., Ruvkun, G., & Ausubel, F. M.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Broad Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Ausubel, Frederick M.
Venue
Cell Host & Microbe
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-04
Volume
13
Issue
4
Pages
406-416
ISSN
1931-3128 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2015346570
Cited by
221
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 5
FWCI
6.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell Host & Microbe (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5f32ai100501-02)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG043184)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32DA013911)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM095672)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI085581, U54AI057159, F32 AI-100501)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
Keywords
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Caenorhabditis elegans, iron homeostasis, pyoverdine, siderophores, hypoxia, bacterial virulence, iron chelators, chemical genetic screen, host-pathogen interaction, innate immunity, opportunistic pathogens
MeSH terms
Animals, Hypoxia, Homeostasis, Iron, Mutation, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Transcription Factors, Virulence, Caenorhabditis elegans, Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins, Virulence Factors

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