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 ut...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of genetics 2013-01, Vol.47, p.625-646
Main Authors: Groisman, Eduardo A, Hollands, Kerry, Kriner, Michelle A, Lee, Eun-Jin, Park, Sun-Yang, Pontes, Mauricio H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ATP
Bacteria - growth & development
Bacteria - metabolism
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - metabolism
Bacterial Proteins - metabolism
Binding, Competitive
Biological Transport
Carrier Proteins - metabolism
Cations - metabolism
CorA
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
gene regulation
Homeostasis
Host-Pathogen Interactions
lipopolysaccharide
Magnesium - metabolism
MgtA
MgtB
MgtE
PhoP/PhoQ
Riboswitch
Signal Transduction
Virulence
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0066-4197
1545-2948
DOI:10.1146/annurev-genet-051313-051025