What is it about?
P. aeruginosa is equipped with redundant mechanisms for the acquisition of Zn in environments poor of this metal. Here we have characterized a previously unrecognized Zn-import system (ZrmABCD) that relies on the release of a metallophore structurally related to nicotianamine. Alteration in zinc-importing ability caused by deletion of the major components of the Zn-uptake apparatus (ZnuA or ZrmA) has a crucial impact on the expression of several virulence features and on the ability of P. aeruginosa to cause infections in mice.
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Why is it important?
This study reveals that expression of several virulence traits of P. aeruginosa depend on an efficient recruitment of zinc ions
Perspectives
This study suggests that zinc homeostasis is an interesting target for novel antimicrobial treatments aiming at controlling P. aeruginosa. This could be important, for example, to develop novel drugs favoring the control of lung infections in Cystic Fibrosis
Andrea Battistoni
Universita degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata
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This page is a summary of: Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
in zinc poor environments is promoted by a nicotianamine-related metallophore, Molecular Microbiology, October 2017, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13834.
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