Affiliation:
1. Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
2. Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wroclaw, ul. F. Joliot-Curie 14, 50-383, Wroclaw, Italy
Abstract
Some transition metals, like manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc,
required for the biosynthesis of metalloenzymes and metalloproteins, are essential micronutrients
for the growth and development of pathogenic microorganisms. Among the
defenses put in place by the host organism, the so-called “nutritional immunity” consists
of reducing the availability of micronutrients and thus “starving” the pathogen. In the
case of metals, microorganisms can fight the nutritional immunity in different ways, i.e.
by directly recruiting the metal ion or capturing an extracellular metalloprotein or also
through the synthesis of specific metallophores which allow importing the metal in the
form of a chelate complex. The best known and most studied metallophores are those directed
to iron (siderophores), but analogous chelators are also expressed by microorganisms
to capture other metals, such as zinc. An efficient zinc recruitment can also be
achieved by means of specialized zinc-binding proteins. A deep knowledge of the properties,
structure and action mechanisms of extracytoplasmic zinc chelators can be a powerful
tool to find out new therapeutic strategies against the antibiotic and/or antifungal resistance.
This review aims to collect the knowledge concerning zincophores (small
molecules and proteins in charge of zinc acquisition) expressed by bacterial or fungal microorganisms
that are pathogenic for the human body.
Funder
COST Action, NECTAR – Network for Equilibria and Chemical Thermodynamics Advanced Research, supported by COST
National Science Centre
University of Ferrara
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pharmacology,Molecular Medicine,Drug Discovery,Biochemistry,Organic Chemistry
Cited by
10 articles.
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