Proteases of a Bacillus subtilis Clinical Isolate Facilitate Swarming and Siderophore-Mediated Iron Uptake via Proteolytic Cleavage of Transferrin

We isolated a highly serine protease-producing Bacillus subtilis strain (PRY) from a clinical sample and identified it through biochemical testing and ribosomal DNA sequencing. The PRY strain exhibited a robust swarming behavior and was able to digest human transferrin efficiently, concomitantly with the production of catechol-siderophore in the exponential growth phase. The growth of PRY was in proportion to increased iron availability resulting from transferrin destruction. These results suggest that proteases of the B. subtilis PRY strain may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of human infections by facilitating siderophore-mediated iron uptake from transferrin and swarming motility.