Iron is an essential trace element for most organisms. A common way for bacteria to acquire this nutrient is through the secretion of siderophores, which are secondary metabolites that scavenge iron from environmental stocks and deliver it to cells via specific receptors. While there has been tremendous interest in understanding the molecular basis of siderophore synthesis, uptake and regulation, questions about the ecological and evolutionary consequences of siderophore secretion have only recently received increasing attention. In this Review, we outline how eco-evolutionary questions can complement the mechanistic perspective and help to obtain a more integrated view of siderophores. In particular, we explain how secreted diffusible siderophores can affect other community members, leading to cooperative, exploitative and competitive interactions between individuals. These social interactions in turn can spur co-evolutionary arms races between strains and species, lead to ecological dependencies between them and potentially contribute to the formation of stable communities. In brief, this Review shows that siderophores are much more than just iron carriers: they are important mediators of interactions between members of microbial assemblies and the eukaryotic hosts they inhabit.

中文翻译：

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群落和宿主相互作用中的细菌铁载体。

铁是大多数生物体必需的微量元素。细菌获取这种营养物质的常见方式是通过分泌铁载体，铁载体是次生代谢物，可从环境库存中清除铁并通过特定受体将其输送至细胞。虽然人们对了解铁载体合成、摄取和调节的分子基础产生了极大的兴趣，但有关铁载体分泌的生态和进化后果的问题直到最近才受到越来越多的关注。在这篇综述中，我们概述了生态进化问题如何补充机械论观点并帮助获得对铁载体更全面的看法。特别是，我们解释了分泌的可扩散铁载体如何影响其他社区成员，从而导致个体之间的合作、剥削和竞争互动。这些社会互动反过来又会刺激菌株和物种之间的共同进化军备竞赛，导致它们之间的生态依赖，并可能有助于形成稳定的群落。简而言之，这篇综述表明，铁载体不仅仅是铁载体：它们是微生物组件成员与其所栖息的真核宿主之间相互作用的重要介质。