Copper resistance determinants in bacteria

Copper is an essential trace element that is utilized in a number of oxygenases and electron transport proteins, but it is also a highly toxic heavy metal, against which all organisms must protect themselves. Known bacterial determinants of copper resistance are plasmid-encoded. The mechanisms which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPlasmid Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 41 - 51
Main Authors Brown, Nigel L., Rouch, Duncan A., Lee, Barry T.O.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 1992
Elsevier
Subjects
Action of physical and chemical agents on bacteria
Amino Acid Sequence
Bacteria - drug effects
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteria - metabolism
Bacterial Proteins - genetics
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Copper - metabolism
Copper - pharmacology
Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli - metabolism
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genes, Bacterial
Microbiology
Molecular Sequence Data
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Resistance
Gene
Bacteria
Review
Copper
Metabolism
Mechanism
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Summary:Copper is an essential trace element that is utilized in a number of oxygenases and electron transport proteins, but it is also a highly toxic heavy metal, against which all organisms must protect themselves. Known bacterial determinants of copper resistance are plasmid-encoded. The mechanisms which confer resistance must be integrated with the normal metabolism of copper. Different bacteria have adopted diverse strategies for copper resistance, and this review outlines what is known about bacterial copper resistance mechanisms and their genetic regulation.
ISSN:0147-619X
1095-9890
DOI:10.1016/0147-619X(92)90005-U