The ability of a pathogenic microorganism to colonize and proliferate within a particular environmental niche in the host is essential for the initiation of an infection.
Growth depends, in part, on the ability of a pathogen to obtain essential nutrients such as iron.
The human host presents an iron-restricted environment as the concentration of free iron is too low to support bacterial growth. When confronted with such an environment pathogenic microorganisms synthesize a class of proteins termed iron-regulated proteins. Our laboratory is involved in studies on the iron-regulated proteins synthesized by Neisseria gonorrhoeae , the causative agent of gonorrhea. Forng, R.-Y., C.R. Ekechukwu, S. Subbarao, S.A. Morse and C.A. Genco. Promoter mapping and transcriptional regulation of the iron-regulated Neisseria gonorrhoeae fbo A gene.