A new ROS response factor YvmB protects Bacillus licheniformis against oxidative stress under adverse environment.

and rapidly transform to ·OH through Fenton Reaction. How do bacteria deal with oxidative stress? At present, several iron chelators have been reported to decrease the ·OH generation by sequestrating iron, while how bacteria control the synthesis of iron chelators to resist oxidative stress is still unclear. Our study found that the synthesis of iron chelator PA is induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), which means that the synthesis of iron chelator is a proactive defense mechanism against environment stress. Importantly, YvmB is the first response factor found to protect cells by reducing the ROS generation, which present a new perspective in antioxidation studies.