Probing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas aureofaciens, Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas putida with the ferripyochelin receptor A gene and the synthesis of pyochelin in Pseudomonas aureofaciens, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas putida.

Abstract

The ferripyochelin receptor A (fptA) gene codes for the transport of the ferrisiderophore ferripyochelin in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A P. aeruginosa fptA internal fragment was used to probe chromosomal DNA from P. aureofaciens, B. cepacia, P. fluorescens, P. putida, and five strains of P.aeruginosa. These bacteria all contained DNA that hybridized to the fptA fragment. Four of the five P. aeruginosa strains displayed marked and identical patterns, indicating a high degree of sequence similarities among these strains. DNA from the non-P. aeruginosa bacteria, in contrast, hybridized less to the fptA fragment. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and B. cepacia synthesize pyochelin. Experiments were performed to confirm P. fluorescens pyochelin synthesis and to determine if pyochelin, cepabactin or salicylic acid were made by P. aureofaciens, P. putida, and P. fluorescens. Only pyochelin was isolated and identified from P. fluorescens. P. aureofaciens and P. putida produced none of these compounds. While all of these bacteria contain chromosomal DNA that hybridized to the fptA fragment probe, pyochelin synthesis did not occur in all, indicating that fptA fragment hybridization cannot always be correlated with pyochelin biosynthesis.