A 'through-DNA' mechanism for co-regulation of metal uptake and efflux.

ABSTRACT: Transition metals like Zn are essential for all organisms including bacteria, but fluctuations of their concentrations in the cell can be lethal. Organisms have thus evolved complex mechanisms for cellular metal homeostasis. One mechanistic paradigm involves pairs of transcription regulators sensing intracellular metal concentrations to regulate metal uptake and efflux. Here we report that Zur and ZntR, a prototypical pair of regulators for Zn uptake and efflux in E. coli, respectively, can coordinate their regulation through DNA, besides sensing cellular Zn²⁺ concentrations. Using a combination of live-cell single-molecule tracking and in vitro single-molecule FRET measurements, we show that unmetallated ZntR can enhance the unbinding kinetics of Zur from DNA by directly acting

SUBMITTER: Chakraborty UK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11618457 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature