Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a Bioindicator for Zinc-limited Growth Conditions in Mycobacteria.

Many bacteria build alternative ribosomes in Zn-limiting growth conditions by replacing Zn-binding ribosomal proteins with Zn-independent paralogs. Defining a system to study these alternative ribosomes has proven difficult because Zn contamination in the laboratory is common. To address this issue, chelating agents are sometimes added to growth media, but this approach convolutes the biological response to gradual Znlimitation and is associated with ribosome hibernation.

Multi-Omics Profiling Specifies Involvement of Alternative Ribosomal Proteins in Response to Zinc Limitation in .

Zinc ion (Zn) is an essential micronutrient and a potent antioxidant. However, Zn is often limited in the environment. Upon Zn limitation, (basonym: ) undergoes a morphogenesis, which relies on alternative ribosomal proteins (AltRPs); i.

Zinc limitation triggers anticipatory adaptations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has complex and dynamic interactions with the human host, and subpopulations of Mtb that emerge during infection can influence disease outcomes. This study implicates zinc ion (Zn2+) availability as a likely driver of bacterial phenotypic heterogeneity in vivo. Zn2+ sequestration is part of "nutritional immunity", where the immune system limits micronutrients to control pathogen growth, but this defense mechanism seems to be ineffective in controlling Mtb infection.

RNA-Seq analysis of the T3SA regulon in Shigella flexneri reveals two new chromosomal genes upregulated in the on-state.

Shigella spp. are enterobacteria that invade human colonic mucosal cells using their Type Three Secretion Apparatus (T3SA). Shigella spp.