Trade-Off between Iron Uptake and Protection against Oxidative Stress: Deletion of cueO Promotes Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Virulence in a Mouse Model of Urinary Tract Infection

The periplasmic multicopper oxidase (CueO) is involved in copper homeostasis and protection against oxidative stress. Here, we show that the deletion of cueO in uropathogenic Escherichia coli increases its colonization of the urinary tract despite its increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. The cueO deletion mutant accumulated iron with increased efficiency compared to its parent strain; this may account for its advantage in the iron-limited environment of the urinary tract.