Search results for siderophores

Biotechnology Sep 14, 2023

Dual Trojan Horse strategy to combat superbugs

In the relentless battle against antibiotic-resistant superbugs, science continues to unveil ingenious strategies to address their vulnerability. Like other bacteria, superbugs have a unique weakness—their dependence on ...

Cell & Microbiology Apr 17, 2023

Metallophiles and their bioremediation applications

Certain species of microbes have evolved to survive in harsh environments, even those that were previously thought to be too extreme to support life. These include environments, such as mines and industrial sewage, that are ...

Materials Science Dec 9, 2022

Microbial miners could help humans colonize the moon and Mars

The biochemical process by which cyanobacteria acquire nutrients from rocks in Chile's Atacama Desert has inspired engineers at the University of California, Irvine to think of new ways microbes might help humans build colonies ...

Cell & Microbiology May 12, 2022

A gene in tuberculosis bacteria is found essential for siderophore secretion and virulence

Lei Zhang, Ph.D., and Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham have made what they call "a major step" in understanding how Mycobacterium tuberculosis acquires iron from its human host—a process ...

Biochemistry Mar 24, 2021

Beware of fellow bacteria bearing gifts: Research presents new potential antimicrobial agents

Skoltech researchers examined the antibiotic compounds that employ a 'Trojan horse' strategy to get into a bacterial cell unrecognized and prevent the synthesis of proteins, ultimately killing the cell. They were able to ...

Biochemistry Aug 17, 2020

Targeting iron uptake to create a new class of antibiotics against UTIs

At 11 million cases annually, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common outpatient infections in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. At least half of all women will have a UTI ...

Cell & Microbiology May 26, 2020

Metal collector made of bacteria

Bacteria, fungi and plants sometimes produce metal-binding substances that can be harnessed, for example for the extraction of raw materials, for their separation, for cleaning soils or for medical purposes.

Cell & Microbiology Apr 1, 2020

Blocking iron transport could stop tuberculosis

One of the most devastating pathogens that lives inside human cells is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis. According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million people died in 2019 from this ...

Earth Sciences Feb 17, 2020

Seeding oceans with iron may not impact climate change

Historically, the oceans have done much of the planet's heavy lifting when it comes to sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Microscopic organisms known collectively as phytoplankton, which grow throughout the ...

Cell & Microbiology Nov 4, 2019

Imaging host-pathogen battle for metal

Bacterial pathogens require nutrient metals to survive and cause disease, and hosts try to protect themselves by hiding metals away—a process called "nutritional immunity." Bacteria have evolved multiple strategies for ...

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