Copper resistance determinants in bacteria
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N L Brown1, D A Rouch, B T Lee
1Microbial Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom.
Plasmid
|January 1, 1992
Abstract:
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.