The high-affinity zinc-uptake system znuA CB is under control of the iron-uptake regulator (fur) gene in the animal pathogen Pasteurella multocida

The Pasteurella multocida znuACB genes encoding a high-affinity zinc-uptake system have been identified and cloned. In contrast to what happens in Escherichia coli, znuA is not physically linked to znuCB. Through lacZ transcriptional fusions it has been demonstrated that zinc negatively regulates both znuA and znuCB operons. Nevertheless, and, contrary to that determined so far for all other znuACB bacterial systems known, P. multocida znuACB genes are not under control of the zur gene, which is absent in this bacterial species, but rather are under its iron-uptake regulator (fur) gene. Furthermore, construction of defective mutants has, demonstrated that P. multocida znuA and znuCB transcriptional units are required for virulence of this organism in a mouse model. (C) 2003 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.