On October 14, 2022, Rebecca Donegan, assistant professor of chemistry, published a literature review in Biological Chemistry. The article, titled “The role of host heme in bacterial infection,” delves deeply into how the iron-containing compound heme is utilized by pathogens. The paper mainly focuses on heme at the host-pathogen interface and addresses the regulation and integration of heme uptake into bacterial metabolism.
The review examines the many methods of heme production, how the host sequesters heme, and how bacterial pathogens scavenge heme. The effects of heme and hemoproteins on the human immune system and bacterial infections are also described. Finally, certain unsolved issues regarding the control of heme absorption and the incorporation of host heme into bacterial metabolism are discussed.