Xanthomonads can scavenge iron from the extracellular environment by secreting the siderophores, which are synthesized by the proteins encoded by
xss (
Xanthomonas siderophore
synthesis) gene cluster. The siderophore production varies among xanthomonads in response to a limited supply of iron where
Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) produces less siderophores than
Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and
Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc). Siderophore production can be measured by HPLC and with the CAS (
Chrome azurol S)-agar plate assay, however HPLC is a more accurate method over CAS-agar plate assay for siderophore quantification in Xanthomonads. Here we describe how to quantify siderophores from xanthomonads using HPLC.