The kinetics of iron accumulation by iron-starved Paracoccus denitrificans during the first 2 min of exposure to "5Fe-labeled ferric siderophore chelates is described. Iron is acquired from the ferric chelate of the natural siderophore L-parabactin in a process exhibiting biphastic kinetics by Lineweaver-Burk analysis. The kinetic data for 1 ,uM < [Fe L-parabactin] < 10 ,uM fit a regression line which suggests a low-affinity system (Km = 3.9 ± 1.2 ,uM, Vma,,j = 494 pg-atoms of 55Fe min-' mg of protein-'), whereas the data for 0.1 5AM < [Fe L-parabactin] c 1 1AM fit another line consistent with a high-affinity system (Km = 0.24 ± 0.06 ,uM, Vmax = 108 pg-atoms of 55Fe min'-mg of protein-l). The Km of the high-affinity uptake is comparable to the binding affinity we had previously reported for the purified ferric L-parabactin receptor protein in the outer membrane. In marked contrast, ferric D-parabactin data fit a single regression line corresponding to a simple MichaelisMenten process with comparatively low affinity (Km = 3.1 ± 0.9 ,uM, Vmax = 125 pg-atoms of 55Fe min-' mg of protein-'). Other catecholamide siderophores with an intact oxazoline ring derived from L-threonine (L-homoparabactin, L-agrobactin, and L-vibriobactin) also exhibit biphasic kinetics with a high-affinity component similar to ferric L-parabactin. Circular dichroism confirmed that these ferric chelates, like ferric L-parabactin, exist as the A enantiomers. The A forms of ferric parabactin (ferric D-and L-parabactin A), in which the oxazoline ring is hydrolyzed to the open-chain threonyl structure, exhibit linear kinetics with a comparatively high Km (1.4 ± 0.3 1AM) and high Vmax (324 pg-atoms of 55Fe min-' mg of protein-').Furthermore, the marked stereospecificity seen between ferric D-and L-parabactins is absent; i.e., iron acquisition from ferric parabactin A is nonstereospecific. The mechanistic implications of these findings in relation to a stereospecific high-affinity binding followed by a nonstereospecific postreceptor processing is discussed.The gram-negative soil bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans excretes a hexacoordinate catecholamide iron chelator, a siderophore, parabactin ( Fig. 1) (36, 42). The five aromatic hydroxyls and the oxazoline ring nitrogen of this ligand have been implicated as the donor centers coordinated to iron in the ferric L-parabactin-chelate complex (34). Previously we demonstrated that the kinetics of iron incorporation by P. denitrificans grown in iron-deficient media is consistent with an "iron taxi" mechanism (4). In the mechanism envisaged, the ferric siderophore binds to a specific receptor protein in the outer membrane, with subsequent release of iron from the siderophore complex while still on the extracellular side of the inner cytoplasmic membrane. The released iron is then transported into the cell, while the deferrated ligand remains extracellular where it may be reused for iron transport. We have identified, isolated, and partially purified a stereospecific high-affinity receptor for ferric L-para...