Bioinformatic Mapping of Opine-Like Zincophore Biosynthesis in Bacteria

Abstract

Bacteria must acquire essential nutrients, including zinc, from their environment. For bacterial pathogens, this necessitates overcoming the host metal-withholding response known as nutritional immunity. A novel type of zinc uptake mechanism that involves the bacterial production of a small zinc-scavenging molecule was recently described in the human pathogens Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Yersinia pestis , as well as the soil-associated bacterium Paenibacillus mucilaginosus . This suggests that zincophores may be important for zinc acquisition in diverse environments. In this study, we sought to identify other zincophore-producing bacteria using bioinformatics. We identified almost 250 unique zincophore-producing species, including human and animal pathogens, as well as isolates from soil, rhizosphere, plant, and marine habitats. Crucially, we observed diversity at the amino acid and gene organization levels, suggesting that many of these species are producing unique zincophores. Together, our findings highlight the importance of zincophores for a broad array of bacteria living in diverse environments.