title: An intimate link: two-component signal transduction systems and metal transport systems in bacteria.
abstract: Bacteria have evolved various strategies to contend with high concentrations of environmental heavy metal ions for rapid, adaptive responses to maintain cell viability. Evidence gathered in the past two decades suggests that bacterial two-component signal transduction systems (TCSTSs) are intimately involved in monitoring cation accumulation, and can regulate the expression of related metabolic and virulence genes to elicit adaptive responses to changes in the concentration of these ions. Using examples garnered from recent studies, we summarize the cross-regulatory relationships between metal ions and TCSTSs. We present evidence of how bacterial TCSTSs modulate metal ion homeostasis and also how metal ions, in turn, function to control the activities of these signaling systems linked with bacterial survival and virulence.
authors.affiliation: Dental Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kamna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Dilani B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Senadheera
authors.forename: Dennis G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Cvitkovitch
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D002412:Cations / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006706:Homeostasis; D008670:Metals / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002412:Cations; D008670:Metals
keywords: gene regulation; transition metal ion homoeostasis; two-component signal transduction systems