Stability constants of the fungal siderophore rhizoferrin with various microelements and calcium

M. Shenker, Y. Hadar, Y. Chen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Stability constants of metal-ligand complexes determine their speciation in solution at equilibrium. Therefore, stability constants of siderophore-metal complexes are of crucial importance in studies of their efficiency as Fe mediators. In this study, potentiometric titrations were used to determine protonation and stability constants of Fe3+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Ca2+, and Zn2+ with rhizoferrin, a siderophore produced by Rhizopus arrhizus, which has been shown in previous studies to be an effective carrier of Fe to plants. Rhizoferrin was found to be a specific Fe3+ chelator but with a stability constant lower than most microbial siderophores. The ferric complex of rhizoferrin is anionic throughout the pH range prevailing in soils, and therefore, it is expected to be mobile in the rhizosphere. The following log K(app) values at 25°C, pH 7.0, and 0.1 M ionic strength were determined: 19.1, 7.5, 6.2, 6.0, and 4.4 for Fe3+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Ca2+, and Zn2+, respectively. The apparent stability constant (K(app)) value for the ferric complex of rhizoferrin suggests that ligand exchange with mugineic acid is the mechanism facilitating the efficiency of rhizoferrin as an Fe carrier to graminaceous plants.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1140-1144
Number of pages5
JournalSoil Science Society of America Journal
Volume60
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1996

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