Copper Resistance Research Articles

Resistance to Electrical Corrosion of Au-Cu Alloy Coatings for Electronic Contacts

In order to obtain electronic contacts with good performance, Au-Cu alloy coatings with different gold contents were prepared on copper substrates by direct current electrodeposition and were tested against electrochemical corrosion and arc corrosion. The experimental results showed that the hardness of the Au-Cu alloy was in the range of 115.2 HV~171.6 HV, which meets the requirements of electronic contact materials. The polarization curve (Tafel) test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test results indicated that the electrochemical corrosion resistance of Au-Cu alloy plating was much better than pure copper. With the rise of gold content in the alloy coatings, the corrosion resistance of the alloy coatings enhanced gradually. Compared with pure copper, the Au-Cu alloy coatings showed more stable contact resistance. After 1000 contacts, the resistivity of the alloy with 75% gold varied from 72 mΩ to 78 mΩ, whereas under the same conditions, the resistivity of copper changed from 14 mΩ to 78 mΩ. Anode-type material transfer occurred after 1000 contacts with a reduction in the total mass of each contact element. The mass loss of Au75Cu25 and Au86Cu14 contact elements was lower than that of pure copper. The Au-Cu alloy coatings displayed excellent arc corrosion resistance when the gold content in the alloy plating was higher than 75%.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings in response to copper stress.

Copper (Cu) is considered one of the major heavy metal pollutants in agriculture, leading to reductions in crop yield. To reveal the molecular mechanisms of resistance to copper stress in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings, transcriptome analysis was conducted on the hybrid variety Zhengdan 958 exposed to 0 (control), 5, and 10 mM Cu stress using RNA-seq. In total, 619, 2,685, and 1,790 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified compared to 5 mM versus 0 mM Cu, 10 mM versus 0 mM Cu, and 10 mM versus 5 mM Cu, respectively. Functional categorization of DEGs according to Gene Ontology revealed that heme binding, defense response, and multiorganism processes were significantly enriched under copper stress. Additionally, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis suggested that the copper stress response is mediated by pathways involving phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and glutathione metabolism, among others. The transcriptome data demonstrated that metabolite biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism play key roles in the response of maize seedlings to copper stress, and these findings provide valuable information for enhancing copper resistance in maize.

Promising corrosion resistance of mild steel, copper, and aluminum in hydrochloric acid solution using an environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor

The current study assessed the anticorrosion features of 6-chloro-2-(4-chlorophenyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-carbaldehyde (AIM) in mitigating corrosion of three different metals: Mild Steel (MS), Copper (Cu) and Aluminum (Al) in 1 M HCl solution. The adsorption process of AIM on these metal surfaces, as well as the stability of the adsorbed layer and its relationship with the type of metal were comprehensively investigated. To achieve our objectives, several techniques were used, such as: Potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), SEM surface characterization, and theoretical approaches. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy investigations revealed high corrosion inhibition rates, reaching 99.01 %, 96.06 %, and 84.8 % for Cu, MS and Al, respectively, at a concentration of 10−3 M of AIM. Potentiodynamic polarisation validated the mixed type nature of inhibitor, a satisfactory correlation was observed between the results obtained by EIS and those obtained by the PDP technique. The adsorption study showed that the process was mainly controlled by chemical adsorption, and metal dissolution was an endothermic process. Additionally, surface analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of a protective AIM film on the electrode surface, resulting in a significant reduction in metal dissolution in the presence of aggressive ions. The exploration of the relationship between molecular structure, inhibitory properties of AIM and the studied metals, was conducted through quantum chemical analysis and dynamic molecular simulation.

Niche-specific evolution and gene exchange of Salmonella in retail pork and chicken

Salmonella exhibits extensive genetic diversity, facilitated by horizontal gene transfer occurring within and between species, playing a pivotal role in this diversification. Nevertheless, most studies focus on clinical and farm animal isolates, and research on the pangenome dynamics of Salmonella isolates from retail stage of the animal food supply chain is limited. Here, we investigated the genomes of 950 Salmonella isolates recovered from retail chicken and pork meats in seven provinces and one municipality of China in 2018. We observed a strong correlation between Salmonella sublineage diversity and the accessory genome with meat type, revealing reduced diversity associated with increased resistance. Importantly, genes associated with antibiotic, biocide, and heavy metal resistance were unevenly distributed in Salmonella from retail chicken and pork. Pork Salmonella isolates showed a higher prevalence of copper and silver resistance genes, while chicken Salmonella isolates displayed a significant predominance of genetic determinants associated with cephalosporin and ciprofloxacin resistance. Moreover, co-occurrence patterns of resistance determinants and their interaction with mobile genetic elements also correlated with meat type. In summary, our findings shed light on how Salmonella achieves their ecological niche success driven by evolution and gene changes in the retail stage of the animal food supply chain.

Methionine-rich domains emerge as facilitators of copper recruitment in detoxification systems

Copper homeostasis mechanisms are critical for bacterial resistance to copper-induced stress. The Escherichia coli multicopper oxidase copper efflux oxidase (CueO) is part of the copper detoxification system in aerobic conditions. CueO contains a methionine-rich (Met-rich) domain believed to interact with copper, but its exact function and the importance of related copper-binding sites remain unclear. This study investigates these open questions by employing a multimodal and multiscale approach. Through the design of various E. coli CueO (EcCueO) variants with altered copper-coordinating residues and domain deletions, we employ biological, biochemical, and physico-chemical approaches to unravel in vitro CueO catalytic properties and in vivo copper resistance. Strong correlation between the different methods enables evaluation of EcCueO variants' activity as a function of Cu+ availability. Our findings demonstrate the Met-rich domain is not essential for cuprous oxidation, but it facilitates Cu+ recruitment from strongly chelated forms, acting as transient copper binding domain thanks to multiple methionines. They also indicate that the Cu6/7 copper-binding sites previously observed within the Met-rich domain play a negligible role. Meanwhile, Cu5, located at the interface with the Met-rich domain, emerges as the primary and sole substrate-binding active site for cuprous oxidation. The Cu5 coordination sphere strongly affects the enzyme activity and the in vivo copper resistance. This study provides insights into the nuanced role of CueO Met-rich domain, enabling the functions of copper-binding sites and the entire domain itself to be decoupled. This paves the way for a deeper understanding of Met-rich domains in the context of bacterial copper homeostasis.

The distribution of beneficial mutational effects between two sister yeast species poorly explains natural outcomes of vineyard adaptation.

Domesticated strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have adapted to resist copper and sulfite, two chemical stressors commonly used in winemaking. S. paradoxus has not adapted to these chemicals despite being consistently present in sympatry with S. cerevisiae in vineyards. This contrast could be driven by a number of factors including niche differences or differential access to resistance mutations between species. In this study, we used a comparative mutagenesis approach to test whether S. paradoxus is mutationally constrained with respect to acquiring greater copper and sulfite resistance. For both species, we assayed the rate, effect size, and pleiotropic costs of resistance mutations and sequenced a subset of 150 mutants. We found that the distributions of mutational effects displayed by the two species were similar and poorly explained the natural pattern. We also found that chromosome VIII aneuploidy and loss of function mutations in PMA1 confer copper resistance in both species, whereas loss of function mutations in REG1 were only a viable route to copper resistance in S. cerevisiae. We also observed a de novo duplication of the CUP1 gene in S. paradoxus but not in S. cerevisiae. For sulfite, loss of function mutations in RTS1 and KSP1 confer resistance in both species, but mutations in RTS1 have larger effects in S. paradoxus. Our results show that even when available mutations are largely similar, species can differ in the adaptive paths available to them. They also demonstrate that assays of the distribution of mutational effects may lack predictive insight concerning adaptive outcomes.

SiO2 nanoparticles can enhance nitrogen retention and reduce copper resistance genes during aerobic composting of swine manure

SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) are low-cost, environmentally friendly materials with significant potential to remove pollutants from complex environments. In this study, SiO2 NPs were used for the first time as an additive in aerobic composting to enhance nitrogen retention and reduce the expression of copper resistance genes. The addition of 0.5 g kg−1 SiO2 NPs effectively reduced nitrogen loss by 72.33 % by decreasing denitrification genes (nosZ, nirK, and napA) and increasing nitrogen fixation gene (nifH). The dominant factors affecting nitrification and denitrification genes were Firmicutes and C/N ratio. Additionally, SiO2 NPs decreased copper resistance genes by 28.96 % − 37.52 % in compost products. Copper resistance genes decreased most in the treatment with 0.5 g kg−1 SiO2 NPs. In summary, 0.5 g kg−1 SiO2 NPs have the potential to reduce copper resistance genes and enhance nitrogen retention during aerobic composting, which may be used to improve compost quality.

Effect of trace grain boundary segregation element bismuth on stress relaxation behavior of copper

The stress relaxation resistance of copper-based materials determines the reliability of contact and stable transmission of connector plugs. This study investigates the effect of trace bismuth (110 wt ppm) on the stress relaxation resistance of pure copper at temperatures of 25 °C, 100 °C, and 200 °C. The relationship between microstructure and stress relaxation resistance was analyzed using SEM, EBSD, and HAADF-STEM. The results demonstrate that trace bismuth significantly enhances the stress relaxation resistance of pure copper, especially at higher temperatures of 100 °C and 200 °C, where the stress relaxation rates of Cu-0.011Bi samples after 48 h decreased by 21.36 % and 18.06 %, respectively, compared to Cu samples. Trace bismuth elements exist in copper mainly in the form of double atomic layers segregated at grain boundaries, which pin the grain boundaries, inhibit grain growth, and hinder dislocation slip. At room temperature (25 °C), bismuth mainly improves stress relaxation resistance by refining grains. At higher temperatures of 100 °C and 200 °C, the significant enhancement in stress relaxation resistance is primarily related to bismuth's inhibition of the reduction in dislocation density and recrystallization during the stress relaxation process.

Two novel plasmids harbouring the multiresistance gene cfr in porcine Staphylococcus equorum

BackgroundThe emergence and transmission of the multidrug resistance gene cfr have raised public health concerns worldwide. ObjectivesMultidrug-resistant Staphylococcus equorum isolates can pose a threat to public health. In this study, we have characterised the whole-genome of one Staphylococcus equorum isolate harbouring two distinct cfr-carrying plasmids. MethodsAntimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution. Genomic DNA was sequenced using both the Illumina HiSeq X Ten and Nanopore MinION platforms. De novo hybrid assembly was performed by Unicycler. Genomic data were assessed by in silico prediction and bioinformatic tools. ResultsStaphylococcus equorum isolate SN42 exhibited resistance or high MICs to linezolid, erythromycin, tetracycline, oxacillin, clindamycin, virginiamycin, tiamulin, chloramphenicol and florfenicol. It carried two cfr-harbouring plasmids: the RepA N-family plasmid pSN42–51 K and the Inc18-family plasmid pSN42–50 K. These two plasmids exhibited low structural similarities to the so far reported cfr-carrying plasmids. Both plasmids harboured an arsenic resistance operon, copper and cadmium resistance genes as well as the lincosamide-pleuromutilin-streptogramin A resistance gene lsa(B). In addition, plasmid pSN42–51 K carried two erm(B) genes for macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance, the streptomycin resistance gene ant(6)-Ia as well as mercury resistance genes while pSN42–50 K was associated with the heavy metal translocating P-type ATPase gene hmtp. The co-carriage and co-existence of these antimicrobial resistance and heavy metal resistance genes increases the likelihood of co-selection of the cfr-carrying plasmids. ConclusionThis is the first report of S. equorum carrying two distinct cfr-carrying plasmids, underscoring the need for ongoing surveillance to address the potential dissemination of multi-drug resistance in bacteria from food-producing animals to ensure food safety and public health.

The microstructure, mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of YB2C2 reinforced Cu matrix composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

The first ternary layered ceramic reinforced copper matrix composites, Cu-xYB2C2 (x = 0, 5, 10, 20 vol%) composites without interfacial reaction were successfully fabricated by spark plasma sintering at 950 °C. Microstructures, phase compositions, mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of Cu-YB2C2 composites were investigated. The results indicated that Cu-YB2C2 composites had good chemical compatibility. Compared with pure copper, the hardness, tensile strength and wear resistance of Cu-YB2C2 composites were all significantly improved. Cu-10 vol% YB2C2 composites exhibited the highest tensile strength and the best tribological performance, with an ultimate tensile strength of 203 ± 2 MPa and a wear rate of (3.1 ± 0.4) × 10−8 mm3/mm. The wear mechanism changed from adhesive wear to a combination of adhesive wear and abrasive wear with the addition of YB2C2, while surface oxidation and fatigue were also present in all tribosystems. Cu-YB2C2 composites have application prospects in electrical contacts and aerospace fields.

The acquired pco gene cluster in Salmonella enterica mediates resistance to copper.

The pervasive environmental metal contamination has led to selection of heavy-metal resistance genes in bacteria. The pco and sil clusters are located on a mobile genetic element and linked to heavy-metal resistance. These clusters have been found in Salmonella enterica serovars isolated from human clinical cases and foods of animal origin. This may be due to the use of heavy metals, such as copper, in animal feed for their antimicrobial and growth promotion properties. The sil cluster can be found alone or in combination with pco cluster, either in the chromosome or on a plasmid. Previous reports have indicated that sil, but not pco, cluster contributes to copper resistance in S. enterica Typhimurium. However, the role of the pco cluster on the physiology of non-typhoidal S. enterica remains poorly understood. To understand the function of the pco gene cluster, a deletion mutant of pcoABCD genes was constructed using allelic exchange mutagenesis. Deletion of pcoABCD genes inhibited growth of S. enterica in high-copper medium, but only under anaerobic environment. Complementation of the mutant reversed the growth phenotype. The survival of S. enterica in RAW264.7 macrophages was not affected by the loss of pcoABCD genes. This study indicates that the acquired pco cluster is crucial for copper detoxification in S. enterica, but it is not essential for intracellular replication within macrophages.

Indigenous copper and dye resistant bacteria: Enterobacter cloacae Suk1 and Serratia nematodiphila Suk13 isolated from Sukolilo River, Surabaya Province, Indonesia

Bioremediation using indigenous copper-resistant bacteria has been successfully used in reducing copper concentrations. However, little information is available concerning the resistance of bacteria to copper and dyes. This study, therefore, was aimed at 1) isolating and characterizing multi-resistant bacteria, 2) measuring the copper biosorption and accumulation ability, and 3) measuring the growth and decolorization ability of various dyes. Dye-multi-resistant bacteria were isolated from Sukolilo River, Indonesia. Copper resistance was determined by measuring the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The biosorption and accumulation abilities were measured using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The twelve dyes used in the test were methylene blue, malachite green, congo red, mordant orange, reactive black, direct yellow, basic fuchsine, reactive orange, dispersion orange, remazol red, wantex yellow, and wantex red. The decolorization activity was analyzed by spectrophotometry at a wavelength of 300-900 nm. The results showed that nine isolates of copper-resistant bacteria demonstrated MIC of 3-9 mM CuSO4. Enterobacter cloacae Suk1 and Serratia nematodiphila Suk13 have been demonstrated to possess multi-resistance to CuSO4, and the twelve dyes, except Enterobacter cloacae Suk1 which did not grow on malachite green and basic fuchsine. Enterobacter cloacae Suk1 was able to decolorize 89.42% of methylene blue and 83.61% of congo red in a medium supplemented with 500 ppm of each dye. Enterobacter cloacae Suk1 and Serratia nematodiphila Suk13 also accumulated copper of up to 2.61 mg and 2.48 mg/g dry weight of cell, respectively, and removed copper of up to 94.64% and 90.52% in a medium containing 5 mM CuSO4, respectively.

Effect of CUP1 copy number and pH on copper resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae enological strains

The widespread use of copper-based pesticides in winemaking can affect wine fermentation. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the resistance levels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine strains in enological growth conditions. In the context of winemaking, grape juice is a complex environment capable of chelating copper and is characterized by a distinctly acidic pH. In this work, the effects of copper concentration on the growth of 10 S. cerevisiae strains, isolated from an enological environment, and one commercial starter were tested in YNB minimal medium and synthetic must, mimicking enological conditions.In minimal medium, resistance to copper varied among yeasts (50–600 μM), revealing the presence of three resistance levels (high, intermediate, and low). Representative strains of the three groups were tested at a pH range from 5.2 to 3.0 at the copper concentration that showed a 20–25 % growth reduction. At pH range 5.2–4.5, a growth reduction was observed, while, conversely, a strain-specific recovery was observed at pH range 3.2–3.0.In synthetic must, the strains showed higher copper resistance levels than in minimal medium (50–4000 μM). In both synthetic must and minimal medium, a significant logarithmic correlation was found between copper resistance and CUP1 gene copy number. The copy number tended to better explain resistance in minimal medium compared to synthetic must. The results shed light on the role of CUP1 copy number within an enological environment.

The Influence of Laser Remelting Parameters on the Surface Quality of Copper.

In order to improve the surface quality of copper after laser remelting, this article took laser frequency, pulse width, and energy density as the research objects and used scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a laser confocal three-dimensional measurement instrument, hardness tester, and friction and wear measurement instrument to study the surface morphology, surface roughness, microhardness, and wear resistance of copper, respectively. The results indicate that the frequency, pulse width, and energy density of laser remelting could directly affect the surface quality of the sample, but the influence of frequency and pulse width was more significant. When the laser remelting frequency was 10 Hz, the pulse width was 10 ms, and the energy density was 132.69 J/mm2, the sample exhibited good surface morphology, roughness, and wear resistance. The relevant research in this article can provide a good reference for the laser surface treatment of copper-based materials.

Interconnects Materials for Integrated Circuit Technology Below 5 Nm Node

As the integrated circuits is scaled few problems appear at the lowest levels of interconnects — high resistance of copper lines and copper electromigration. High resistance is connected with the increasing contribution of the electron surface scattering and grain boundary scattering. Moreover, copper lines require barrier layers decreasing the cross-section of the copper part of the line. Also the resistance of copper to electromigration is insufficient for the technology node below 5nm. Therefore, it is necessary to look for alternative materials to replace copper, which will provide high resistance to electromigration and low resistance of the lines. The most promising candidates are Ru, Mo, Rh, Ir. The advantages and disadvantages of these materials are considered in this paper.

The corrosion inhibition performance and mechanism of α-benzoin oxime on copper: A comprehensive study of experiments and DFT calculations

Copper corrosion poses a significant challenge to process stability and chip quality in the field of integrated circuit manufacturing. This study comprehensively explored the corrosion inhibition performance of α-benzoin oxime (bzoxH2) on copper, by employing a combination of experimental methods and computational chemistry. First, after the addition of 0.1 mM bzoxH2, the static etching rate and surface roughness of copper were decreased to 7 Å·min−1 and 1.36 nm, respectively, which indicated that bzoxH2 could reduce the corrosion rate of copper and improve its surface quality. Subsequently, electrochemical behavior analysis showed that the addition of 0.1 mM bzoxH2 resulted in an increase in open circuit potential to 0.185 V, a decrease in corrosion current density to 2.33 µA·cm−2, an increase in polarization resistance to 10589 Ω·cm2, and a high corrosion inhibition efficiency of 96.88 %, suggesting that bzoxH2 significantly enhances the corrosion resistance of copper. Furthermore, studies based on adsorption isotherm models indicated that the adsorption behavior of bzoxH2 on the copper surface formed a dense passivation film through the combination of physical and chemical adsorption mechanisms. This effectively enhanced the corrosion resistance of copper and provided robust protection against corrosion. Finally, the use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technology, along with an in-depth exploration of the geometric structure and chemical reactivity of the bzoxH2 molecule, revealed its complex interaction with specific active sites on the copper surface. These findings provided valuable theoretical insights, along with practical guidance for the development of metal corrosion inhibitors.

Regulation and microbial response mechanism of nitric oxide to copper-containing swine wastewater treated by Pistia stratiotes

As a signaling molecule, Nitric oxide (NO) has been widely used in abiotic stress mitigation studies.Pistia stratiotes showed a good synergistic removal effect on heavy metals, nitrogen and phosphorus, but the high concentration of copper(Cu) in swine wastewater inhibited the comprehensive removal ability of Pistia stratiotes. At present, it is not clear how the addition of NO regulates the stress resistance mechanism of Pistia stratiotes to copper in swine wastewater, and the microbial response mechanism accompanying this process is not yet clear. Therefore, in the concentration range of 0.31∼4 mg·L−1Cu2+ and NO concentration of 0,0.05 and 0.1 mg L−1, the removal effect of Pistia stratiotes on copper from swine wastewater was studied. The results showed as follows: The treatment of non-available copper in groups M and H increased by 10.67% and 22.31%, respectively, compared with that in group L. The critical point of inhibiting effect of NO on growth rate was 2.03 mg·L−1Cu. By measuring three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum, combined with parallel factor analysis and principal component analysis, it was confirmed that exogenous addition of NO affected the humification degree of dissolved organic matter(DOM) and promoted the chelation of organic matter with copper. With the increase of Cu concentration, the Reyranella and Prosthecobacter with certain copper resistance gradually gained advantages. Redundancy analysis(RDA) showed that Emiticicia had a strong correlation with the removal rates of ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus and copper in swine wastewater, while hgcI_clade had a strong correlation with the removal rates of total nitrogen. In conclusion, controlling the dosage of NO can effectively improve the tolerance and removal effect of Pistia stratiotes on copper in swine wastewater, which is of great significance for promoting the treatment and resource transformation of swine wastewater.

The twin formation under electric current stressing and its effect on the properties of copper

Copper as one of the major electronic metals will experience electric current stressing during electronics application. The study comprehensively investigated microhardness and electrical resistivity variations of copper under current stressing at current densities 1.4 x 104 and 1.7 × 104 A/cm2 for up to 8 h. The variations in these properties were correlated with dislocation density and twin fraction. The dislocation density and twin fraction were estimated, respectively, with high resolution transmission electron microscope and Electron Backscatter Diffraction. The twin boundary acts as obstacle to dislocation movement as revealed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The twin boundary predominates over dislocation in governing the microhardness and electrical resistivity of copper under current stressing.

Copper resistance in the cold: Genome analysis and characterisation of a PIB-1 ATPase in Bizionia argentinensis.

Copper homeostasis is a fundamental process in organisms, characterised by unique pathways that have evolved to meet specific needs while preserving core resistance mechanisms. While these systems are well-documented in model bacteria, information on copper resistance in species adapted to cold environments is scarce. This study investigates the potential genes related to copper homeostasis in the genome of Bizionia argentinensis (JUB59-T), a psychrotolerant bacterium isolated from Antarctic seawater. We identified several genes encoding proteins analogous to those crucial for copper homeostasis, including three sequences of copper-transport P1B-type ATPases. One of these, referred to as BaCopA1, was chosen for cloning and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BaCopA1 was successfully integrated into yeast membranes and subsequently extracted with detergent. The purified BaCopA1 demonstrated the ability to catalyse ATP hydrolysis at low temperatures. Structural models of various BaCopA1 conformations were generated and compared with mesophilic and thermophilic homologous structures. The significant conservation of critical residues and structural similarity among these proteins suggest a shared reaction mechanism for copper transport. This study is the first to report a psychrotolerant P1B-ATPase that has been expressed and purified in a functional form.

Cross-regulation and cross-talk of conserved and accessory two-component regulatory systems orchestrate Pseudomonas copper resistance.

Bacteria use diverse strategies and molecular machinery to maintain copper homeostasis and to cope with its toxic effects. Some genetic elements providing copper resistance are acquired by horizontal gene transfer; however, little is known about how they are controlled and integrated into the central regulatory network. Here, we studied two copper-responsive systems in a clinical isolate of Pseudomonas paraeruginosa and deciphered the regulatory and cross-regulation mechanisms. To do so, we combined mutagenesis, transcriptional fusion analyses and copper sensitivity phenotypes. Our results showed that the accessory CusRS two-component system (TCS) responds to copper and activates both its own expression and that of the adjacent nine-gene operon (the pcoA2 operon) to provide resistance to elevated levels of extracellular copper. The same locus was also found to be regulated by two core-genome-encoded TCSs-the copper-responsive CopRS and the zinc-responsive CzcRS. Although the target palindromic sequence-ATTCATnnATGTAAT-is the same for the three response regulators, transcriptional outcomes differ. Thus, depending on the operon/regulator pair, binding can result in different activation levels (from none to high), with the systems demonstrating considerable plasticity. Unexpectedly, although the classical CusRS and the noncanonical CopRS TCSs rely on distinct signaling mechanisms (kinase-based vs. phosphatase-based), we discovered cross-talk in the absence of the cognate sensory kinases. This cross-talk occurred between the proteins of these two otherwise independent systems. The cusRS-pcoA2 locus is part of an Integrative and Conjugative Element and was found in other Pseudomonas strains where its expression could provide copper resistance under appropriate conditions. The results presented here illustrate how acquired genetic elements can become part of endogenous regulatory networks, providing a physiological advantage. They also highlight the potential for broader effects of accessory regulatory proteins through interference with core regulatory proteins.