The present study investigated the
effects of iron, iron chelators, and mutations of
tonB
or
iroN fepA
genes on the growth and virulence
of
Salmonella
Typhimurium
.
Results
indicated that organic iron (ferric citrate and ferrous-
l
-ascorbate) supported better growth of
Salmonella
compared to inorganic iron. Among tested chelators, 2,2′-bipyridyl
at 500 μM showed the highest inhibition of
Salmonella
growth with 5 μM ferrous sulfate. Deletion of genes (
tonB
–
and
iroN
–
fepA
–
) in the iron uptake system attenuated
Salmonella
invasion of Caco-2 cells and its ability to damage
the epithelial monolayer. The expression of all tested host genes
in Caco-2 was not affected under the iron-poor condition. However,
claudin 3, tight junction protein 1, tumor necrosis factor α
(TNF-α), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were altered under the iron-rich
condition depending on individual mutations. In
Caenorhabditis
elegans
, a significant down-regulation of ferritin
1 expression was observed when the nematode was infected by the wild-type
(WT) strain.