Bacterial metallothionein, PmtA, a novel stress protein found on the bacterial surface of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and involved in management of oxidative stress and phagocytosis.

ABSTRACT: Metallothioneins (MTs) are small cysteine-rich proteins that play important roles in homeostasis and protection against heavy metal toxicity and oxidative stress. The opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, expresses a bacterial MT known as PmtA. Utilizing genetically modified P. aeruginosa PAO1 strains (a human clinical wound isolate), we show that inducing pmtA increases levels of pyocyanin and biofilm compared to other PAO1 isogenic strains, supporting previous results that pmtA is important for pyocyanin and biofilm production. We also show that overexpression of pmtA in vitro provides protection for cells exposed to oxidants, which is a characteristic of inflammation, indicating a role for PmtA as an antioxidant in inflammation. We found that

SUBMITTER: Maltz-Matyschsyk M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11237414 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature