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Opportunistic Use by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa of Catecholamine Neurotransmitters as Siderophore to Access Iron

Iron is an essential nutrient for bacteria growth and microorganisms have developped several strategies to access iron, the most common being the production of siderophores, iron-chelating molecules secreted into the bacterial environment. Here, we demonstrate that catecholamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, L-DOPA, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) are able to chelate iron and  bring iron into Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells via an energy-dependent transport mechanism that relies on TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs). Using bacterial growth assay under strong iron-restricted conditions, we show that the TBDTs involved are PiuA and PirA. PiuA exhibited more pronounced specificity for dopamine uptake, whereas PirA specificity appeared to be higher for L-DOPA and norepinephrine. Proteomic and qRT-PCR approaches showed pirA transcription and expression to be induced in the presence of all four catecholamines. Finally, the oxidative properties of catecholamines enable them to reduce iron, and we observed ferrous iron uptake via the FeoABC system in the presence of L-DOPA.