Copper homeostasis in Salmonella is atypical and copper-CueP is a major periplasmic metal complex

J Biol Chem. 2010 Aug 13;285(33):25259-68. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.145953. Epub 2010 Jun 9.

Abstract

Salmonella enterica sv. typhimurium (S. enterica sv. Typhimurium) has two metal-transporting P(1)-type ATPases whose actions largely overlap with respect to growth in elevated copper. Mutants lacking both ATPases over-accumulate copper relative to wild-type or either single mutant. Such duplication of ATPases is unusual in bacterial copper tolerance. Both ATPases are under the control of MerR family metal-responsive transcriptional activators. Analyses of periplasmic copper complexes identified copper-CueP as one of the predominant metal pools. Expression of cueP was recently shown to be controlled by the same metal-responsive activator as one of the P(1)-type ATPase genes (copA), and copper-CueP is a further atypical feature of copper homeostasis in S. enterica sv. Typhimurium. Elevated copper is detected by a reporter construct driven by the promoter of copA in wild-type S. enterica sv. Typhimurium during infection of macrophages. Double mutants missing both ATPases also show reduced survival inside cultured macrophages. It is hypothesized that elevated copper within macrophages may have selected for specialized copper-resistance systems in pathogenic microorganism such as S. enterica sv. Typhimurium.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / genetics
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cation Transport Proteins / genetics
  • Cation Transport Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Copper / metabolism*
  • Copper-Transporting ATPases
  • Macrophages / microbiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mutation
  • Periplasm / metabolism*
  • Salmonella typhimurium / genetics
  • Salmonella typhimurium / growth & development
  • Salmonella typhimurium / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Cation Transport Proteins
  • Copper
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases
  • Copper-Transporting ATPases