Heme-iron and ecology of Escherichia coli within the porcine gut.
Growth of Escherichia coli was followed in sow whey by a turbidometric technique. Heme-iron clearly promoted bacterial growth, therefore free heme would be dangerous in small intestine by enhancing bacterial growth: duodenal brush border membrane (BBM) was seen to bind heme-iron, thus abolishing the growth promoting effect of this form of iron. Scatchard analysis of heme-binding onto BBM showed that heme became bound by a specific mechanism (KD approximately equal to 10(-7) M) as well as non-specifically. The absorption system for iron within the enterocytes should be considered an important antibacterial system within the gut.
D000818:Animals; D003470:Culture Media; D004386:Duodenum / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism*; D006427:Hemin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D007501:Iron / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007785:Lactose; D008871:Microvilli / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine
D003470:Culture Media; D006418:Heme; D006427:Hemin; D007501:Iron; D007785:Lactose