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 [MEM alpha]) containing ferrilactoferrin, ferritransferrin, or ferri-ovotransferrin. Iron was internalized in a contact-dependent manner, with 94% of cell-associated radioactivity from either Fe-55-loaded transferrin or lactoferrin associated with the soluble cell fraction. Partitioning the iron source away from bacteria significantly decreased cellular growth. Excess cold transferrin or lactoferrin in cultures containing Fe-55-loaded transferrin or lactoferrin resulted in reduced levels of Fe-55 uptake. Growth of C. jejuni in the presence of ferri- and an excess of apoprotein reduced overall levels of growth. Following incubation of cells in the presence of ferrilactoferrin, lactoferrin became associated with the cell surface; binding levels were higher after growth under iron limitation. A strain carrying a mutation in the cj0178 gene from the iron uptake system Cj0173c-Cj0178 demonstrated significantly reduced growth promotion in the presence of ferrilactoferrin in MEM alpha compared to wild type but was not affected in the presence of heme. Moreover, this mutant acquired less Fe-55 than wild type when incubated with Fe-55-loaded protein and bound less lactoferrin. Complementation restored the wild-type phenotype when cells were grown with ferrilactoferrin. A mutant in the ABC transporter system permease gene (cj0174c) showed a small but significant growth reduction. The cj0176c-cj0177 intergenic region contains two separate Fur-regulated iron-repressible promoters. This is the first demonstration that C. jejuni is capable of acquiring iron from members of the transferrin protein family, and our data indicate a role for Cj0178 in this process.