Specificity of Exochelins for Iron Transport in Three Species of Mycobacteria

Abstract
Fe chelated to the water-soluble extracellular Fe-binding compound (exochelin) from Mycobacterium smegmatis was taken up by that organism by an energy-coupled transport system which was not found in M. bovis BCG or M. intracellulare. The uptake of Fe from the chloroform-soluble exochelins produced by the latter 2 spp. was by an inhibitor-insensitive system which was also found in M. smegmatis.
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