title: Genes encoding specific nickel transport systems flank the chromosomal urease locus of pathogenic yersiniae.
abstract: The transition metal nickel is an essential cofactor for a number of bacterial enzymes, one of which is urease. Prior to its incorporation into metalloenzyme active sites, nickel must be imported into the cell. Here, we report identification of two loci corresponding to nickel-specific transport systems in the gram-negative, ureolytic bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. The loci are located on each side of the chromosomal urease gene cluster ureABCEFGD and have the same orientation as the latter. The yntABCDE locus upstream of the ure genes encodes five predicted products with sequence homology to ATP-binding cassette nickel permeases present in several gram-negative bacteria. The ureH gene, located downstream of ure, encodes a single-component carrier which displays homology to polypeptides of the nickel-cobalt transporter family. Transporters with homology to these two classes are also present (again in proximity to the urease locus) in the other two pathogenic yersiniae, Y. pestis and Y. enterocolitica. An Escherichia coli nikA insertion mutant recovered nickel uptake ability following heterologous complementation with either the ynt or the ureH plasmid-borne gene of Y. pseudotuberculosis, demonstrating that each carrier is necessary and sufficient for nickel transport. Deletion of ynt in Y. pseudotuberculosis almost completely abolished bacterial urease activity, whereas deletion of ureH had no effect. Nevertheless, rates of nickel transport were significantly altered in both ynt and ureH mutants. Furthermore, the ynt ureH double mutant was totally devoid of nickel uptake ability, thus indicating that Ynt and UreH constitute the only routes for nickel entry. Both Ynt and UreH show selectivity for Ni(2+) ions. This is the first reported identification of genes coding for both kinds of nickel-specific permeases situated adjacent to the urease gene cluster in the genome of a microorganism.
authors.affiliation: Equipe Inserm E9919-Université JE2225-Institut Pasteur de Lille, Département de Pathogenèse des Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Biologie de Lille, F-59021 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Florent
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sebbane
authors.forename: Marie-Andrée
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mandrand-Berthelot
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simonet
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009532:Nickel / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014510:Urease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015011:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015012:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infections / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; C467047:UreH protein, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis; C467048:Ynt protein, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis; D009532:Nickel; D014510:Urease