John Helmann (@johnhelmann.bsky.social)

New insights into copper physiology in Bacillus subtilis. The outlines of the pathway for copper import and trafficking to support aerobic growth are emerging. Work led by Grayson Barnes, with support from our collaborators. doi.org/10.1128/mbio... #microsky #metalsinbiology

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Pathways of copper import and utilization that support respiration in Bacillus subtilis | mBio Copper is a critical micronutrient for bacteria; however, it is toxic in excess. This leads to the cell having tightly regulated import and export systems to prevent intoxication while having sufficient copper for cellular needs. Copper export has been well studied, but copper import and the effects of copper starvation are less defined. In this article, we characterize the Bacillus subtilis high-affinity copper importer YcnJ. We show that under copper limitation, the cell is deficient in copper-containing oxidases, which leads to respiratory defects. Copper imported by YcnJ is proposed to function in a pathway with other proteins implicated in the assembly of respiratory oxidases. More generally, this work contributes to the underexplored area of copper import and trafficking in bacteria. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01069-26