N-(2,3-Dihydroxybenzoyl)-L-serine is a typical siderophore produced by bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae and Streptomyces families. Dihydroxybenzoylserine is able to stimulate growth of Escherichia coli under iron limiting conditions. N-(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-L-serine is the biosynthetic precursor and breakdown product of enterobactin. Enterobactin is the trimer of N-(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-L-serine.