Tetrapyrrole Metabolism of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

"Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal bacterium with its pathogenicity associated with toxin-mediated diseases, several infections, and the presence of iron-containing tetrapyrroles, Haem and Sirohaem which are crucial for survival within the human host enabling infection. Haem can be synthesised endogenously or acquired from the environment by haem uptake systems being essential for many bioprocesses. It can be synthesised via three different pathways: protoporphyrin-dependent pathway, sirohaem-dependent pathway, and coproporphyrin-dependent pathway. Sirohaem is involved in sulphate and nitrate reduction as a cofactor for sulphite and nitrite reductases, synthesised either by one, two or three enzymes: sirohaem synthase CysG (e.g., present in E. coli), met1 and met8 genes (e.g., present in fungi and bacteria) and the proteins UroM, P2D and ShfC (e.g., present in S. aureus).(...)"