Isolation, characterization, and synthesis of chrysobactin, a compound with siderophore activity from Erwinia chrysanthemi.

A catechcol-type siderophore, assigned the trivial name chrysobactin, was isolated from the phytopathogenic bacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi and characterized by degradation and spectroscopic techniques as N-[N2-(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-D-lysyl]-L-serine. Chrysobactin, which was also obtained by chemical synthesis, was shown to be active in supplying iron to a group of mutants of E. chrysanthemi defective in biosynthesis of the siderophore.