Agrobacterium tumefaciens Zur Regulates the High-Affinity Zinc Uptake System TroCBA and the Putative Metal Chaperone YciC, along with ZinT and ZnuABC, for Survival under Zinc-Limiting Conditions.

Abstract

Agrobacterium tumefaciens has a cluster of genes (Atu3178, Atu3179, and Atu3180) encoding an ABC-type transporter, here named troA, troB, and troC, respectively, which is shown here to be a zinc-specific uptake system. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis confirmed that troA, troB, and troC are cotranscribed, with troC as the first gene of the operon. The yciC (Atu3181) gene is transcribed in the opposite orientation to that of the troCBA operon and belongs to a metal-binding GTPase family. Expression of troCBA and yciC was inducible under zinc-limiting conditions and was controlled by the zinc uptake regulator, Zur. Compared to the wild type, the mutant strain lacking troC was hypersensitive to a metal chelator, EDTA, and the phenotype could be rescued by the addition of zinc, while the strain with a single yciC mutation showed no phenotype. However, yciC was important for survival under zinc limitation when either troC or zinT was inactivated. The periplasmic zinc-binding protein, ZinT, could not function when TroC was inactivated, suggesting that ZinT may interact with TroCBA in zinc uptake. Unlike many other bacteria, the ABC-type transporter ZnuABC was not the major zinc uptake system in A. tumefaciens However, the important role of A. tumefaciens ZnuABC was revealed when TroCBA was impaired. The strain containing double mutations in the znuA and troC genes exhibited a growth defect in minimal medium. A. tumefaciens requires cooperation of zinc uptake systems and zinc chaperones, including TroCBA, ZnuABC, ZinT, and YciC, for survival under a wide range of zinc-limiting conditions. Both host and pathogen battle over access to essential metals, including zinc. In low-zinc environments, physiological responses that make it possible to acquire enough zinc are important for bacterial survival and could determine the outcome of host-pathogen interactions. A. tumefaciens was found to operate a novel pathway for zinc uptake in which ZinT functions in concert with the high-affinity zinc importer TroCBA.