Siderophore-Mediated Iron Acquisition Enhances Resistance to Oxidative and Aromatic Compound Stress in Cupriavidus necator JMP134

Since siderophores have been widely exploited for agricultural, environmental, and medical applications, the identification and characterization of new siderophores from different habitats and organisms will have great beneficial applications. Here, we identified a novel siderophore-producing gene cluster in C. necator JMP134. This gene cluster produces a previously unknown carboxylate siderophore, cupriabactin. Physiological analyses revealed that the cupriabactin-mediated iron acquisition system influences swimming motility, biofilm formation, and oxidative stress resistance. Most notably, this system also plays important roles in increasing the resistance of C. necator JMP134 to stress caused by aromatic compounds, which provide a promising strategy to engineer more efficient approaches to degrade aromatic pollutants.