Ornibactins--a new family of siderophores from Pseudomonas.

Novel linear hydroxamate/hydroxycarboxylate siderophores from strains of Pseudomonas cepacia were isolated and named ornibactins. The ornibactins represent modified tetrapeptide siderophores, possessing the sequence L-Orn1(N delta-OH, N delta-acyl)-D-threo-Asp(beta-OH)-L-Ser-L-Orn4(N delta-OH, N delta-formyl)-1,4-diaminobutane. The N delta-acyl groups of Orn1(N delta-OH, N delta-acyl) may vary and represent the three acids 3-hydroxybutanoic acid, 3-hydroxyhexanoic acid and 3-hydroxyoctanoic acid, leading to a mixture of three different ornibactins, designated according to their acyl chain length as ornibactin-C4, ornibactin-C6 and ornibactin-C8. Each of the siderophores is accompanied by a small amount of a more hydrophilic component with a 16 a.m.u. higher mass. The structure elucidation was based on results from gas chromatography amino acid analysis, electrospray mass spectrometry, and one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.