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Updated: Jan 15, 2026
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Essential Metal Uptake in Gram-negative Bacteria: X-ray Fluorescence, Radioisotopes, and Cell Fractionation
Published on: February 1, 2018
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Navigating the copper highway: bacterial strategies for cytoplasmic import
Caitlin D Palmer1, Amy C Rosenzweig1
1Departments of Molecular Biosciences and of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry
|October 15, 2025
Summary
Bacteria manage essential but toxic copper using complex systems. This review highlights outer membrane transport and periplasmic chaperones, identifying inner membrane copper import as a key area for future antibiotic development.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Copper is essential for bacterial life but toxic at high concentrations.
- Bacteria possess sophisticated systems for copper homeostasis, including uptake, transport, and utilization.
- Understanding bacterial copper acquisition is crucial for controlling bacterial growth and pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in bacterial copper acquisition mechanisms.
- To identify knowledge gaps, particularly in inner membrane copper transport.
- To highlight bacterial copper import systems as potential antibiotic targets.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent research on bacterial copper transport.
- Analysis of structural and functional characterization of outer membrane and periplasmic copper binding proteins.
- Identification of limitations in understanding inner membrane copper transport systems.
Main Results:
- Outer membrane copper transport involves porins and TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs).
- Periplasmic chaperones like CopC, PmoF, and YcnI bind and traffic copper.
- Molecular understanding of inner membrane copper transport via P1B-ATPases, MFS transporters, and CopD family proteins is limited.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial copper acquisition is complex, involving multiple transport and chaperone systems.
- Cytoplasmic copper import across the inner membrane is a critical, understudied area.
- Targeting bacterial copper import systems offers a promising strategy for novel antibiotic development.
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