Bacterial Mg2+ homeostasis, transport, and virulence.
Organisms must maintain physiological levels of Mg(2+) because this divalent cation is critical for the stabilization of membranes and ribosomes, for the neutralization of nucleic acids, and as a cofactor in a variety of enzymatic reactions. In this review, we describe the mechanisms that bacteria utilize to sense the levels of Mg(2+) both outside and inside the cytoplasm. We examine how bacteria achieve Mg(2+) homeostasis by adjusting the expression and activity of Mg(2+) transporters and by changing the composition of their cell envelope. We discuss the connections that exist between Mg(2+) sensing, Mg(2+) transport, and bacterial virulence. Additionally, we explore the logic behind the fact that bacterial genomes encode multiple Mg(2+) transporters and distinct sensing systems for cytoplasmic and extracytoplasmic Mg(2+). These analyses may be applicable to the homeostatic control of other cations.
Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536; email: eduardo.groisman@yale.edu , kerry.hollands@yale.edu , michelle.kriner@yale.edu , eun-jin.lee@yale.edu , sunyang.park@yale.edu , mauricio.pontes@yale.edu.
Eduardo A
EA
Groisman
Kerry
K
Hollands
Michelle A
MA
Kriner
Eun-Jin
EJ
Lee
Sun-Yang
SY
Park
Mauricio H
MH
Pontes
D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D001692:Biological Transport; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006706:Homeostasis; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism*; D058928:Riboswitch; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014774:Virulence
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D002412:Cations; D058928:Riboswitch; D008274:Magnesium