Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Siderophore Production from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Summary

This protocol provides both qualitative and quantitative analyses of total siderophores, pyoverdine, and pyochelin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is known for its production of a diverse range of virulence factors to establish infections in the host. One such mechanism is the scavenging of iron through siderophore production. P. aeruginosa produces two different siderophores: pyochelin, which has lower iron-chelating affinity, and pyoverdine, which has higher iron-chelating affinity. This report demonstrates that pyoverdine can be directly quantified from bacterial supernatants, while pyochelin needs to be extracted from supernatants before quantification.

The primary method for qualitatively analyzing siderophore production is the Chrome Azurol Sulfonate (CAS) agar plate assay. In this assay, the release of CAS dye from the Fe³⁺-Dye complex leads to a color change from blue to orange, indicating siderophore production. For the quantification of total siderophores, bacterial supernatants were mixed in equal proportions with CAS dye in a microtiter plate, followed by spectrophotometric analysis at 630 nm. Pyoverdine was directly quantified from the bacterial supernatant by mixing it in equal proportions with 50 mM Tris-HCl, followed by spectrophotometric analysis. A peak at 380 nm confirmed the presence of pyoverdine. As for Pyochelin, direct quantification from the bacterial supernatant was not possible, so it had to be extracted first. Subsequent spectrophotometric analysis revealed the presence of pyochelin, with a peak at 313 nm.

Introduction

Organisms require iron to perform various vital functions, such as electron transport and DNA replication¹. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen, is known to possess a variety of virulence factors to establish infection in the host, among which one mechanism is siderophore formation². During iron-depleting conditions, P. aeruginosa releases specialized molecules called siderophores, which quench iron from the surrounding environment. Siderophores chelate iron extracellularly, and the resulting ferric-siderophore complex is actively transported back to the cell^....

Protocol

All bacterial isolates of P. aeruginosa were obtained from medical microbiology laboratories from Vadodara and Jaipur, India. All selected clinical isolates were handled in Biosafety Cabinet (BSL2) and utmost care was taken while handling bacterial isolates during the experiments. The commercial details of all the reagents/solutions are provided in the Table of Materials.

1. Preparation of Chrome Azurol Sulfonate (CAS) dye and agar media

1. Prepare CAS dye (100 mL) with the following composition:
   1. Dissolve 60 mg of CAS in 50 mL of distilled water (Solution 1).
   2. Dissolve 2.7 mg of FeCl<....

Results

Before quantification of siderophores from clinical isolates, a qualitative screening for siderophore production was carried out to ensure siderophores production. Qualitative detection of siderophores from clinical isolates was observed by streaking bacteria on CAS agar plates. Three clinical isolates, namely MR1, TL7, J3, along with PAO1 (the reference strain), were selected for the study. All three clinical isolates and PAO1 showed positive results for siderophore production, where a c.......

Discussion

This protocol enables researchers to quantitate total siderophores and two different siderophores of P. aeruginosa, namely pyoverdine and pyochelin, from the bacterial cell-free supernatant. In the CAS agar plates assay, CAS dye and Fe³⁺ ions form a complex. When bacteria produce siderophores, they quench Fe³⁺ ions from the CAS-Fe³⁺ complex, leading to a color change around the bacterial growth. This change results in a clear orange halo around the bacterial growth

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Agar Agar, Type I	HIMEDIA	GRM666
8-Hydroxyquinoline	Loba Chemie	4151
Casamino Acid	SRL Chemicals	68806
Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB)	HIMEDIA	RM4867-100G
Chloroform	Merck	1070242521
Chrome azurol sulfonate	HIMEDIA	RM336-10G
Citric acid	Merck	100241
Dextrose monohydrate	Merck	108342
Dichloromethane	Merck	107020
Ferric chloride hexahydrate	HIMEDIA	GRM6353
Glass Flasks	Borosil	5100021
Glass Test-tubes	Borosil	9820U05
Hydrochloric acid	SDFCL	20125
King's medium B base	HIMEDIA	M1544-500G
M9 Minimal Medium Salts	HIMEDIA	G013-500G
Magnesium Sulphate	Qualigens	10034
MultiskanGO UV Spectrophotometer	Thermo Scientific	51119200
Peptone Type I, Bacteriological	HIMEDIA	RM667-500G
PIPES free acid	MP Biomedicals	190257
Potassium dihydrogen phosphate	Merck	1048731000
Proteose peptone	HIMEDIA	RM005-500G
Shimadzu UV-Vis Spectrophotometer	Shimadzu	2072310058
Sigma Laborzentrifuge	Sigma-Aldrich	3-18K
Sodium chloride	Qualigens	15915