Efficient zinc uptake is critical for the ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to express virulence traits and colonize the human lung

Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology : Organ of the Society for Minerals and Trace Elements (GMS)
Maria Chiara MastropasquaAndrea Battistoni

Abstract

We have recently shown that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen that chronically infects the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and other forms of lung disease, is extremely efficient in recruiting zinc from the environment and that this capability is required for its ability to cause acute lung infections in mice. To verify that P. aeruginosa faces zinc shortage when colonizing the lungs of human patients, we analyzed the expression of three genes that are highly induced under conditions of zinc deficiency (zrmA, dksA2 and rpmE2), in bacteria in the sputum of patients with inflammatory lung disease. All three genes were expressed in all the analyzed sputum samples to a level much higher than that of bacteria grown in zinc-containing laboratory medium, supporting the hypothesis that P. aeruginosa is under zinc starvation during lung infections. We also found that the expression of several virulence traits that play a central role in the ability of P. aeruginosa to colonize the lung is affected by disruption of the most important zinc importing systems. Virulence features dependent on zinc intake include swarming and swimming motility and the ability to form biofilms. Furthermore, alterations in zinc assim...Continue Reading

Citations

Jan 10, 2019·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·Emily M ZygielElizabeth M Nolan
Nov 10, 2020·Metallomics : Integrated Biometal Science·Serena AmmendolaAndrea Battistoni
Nov 3, 2021·Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology·Annarita FiorilloAndrea Ilari

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Biofilms

Biofilms are adherent bacterial communities embedded in a polymer matrix and can cause persistent human infections that are highly resistant to antibiotics. Discover the latest research on Biofilms here.

Biofilm & Infectious Disease

Biofilm formation is a key virulence factor for a wide range of microorganisms that cause chronic infections.Here is the latest research on biofilm and infectious diseases.