Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Macomber L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2688863 | biostudies-other | 2009 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Macomber Lee L Imlay James A JA
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20090504 20
Excess copper is poisonous to all forms of life, and copper overloading is responsible for several human pathologic processes. The primary mechanisms of toxicity are unknown. In this study, mutants of Escherichia coli that lack copper homeostatic systems (copA cueO cus) were used to identify intracellular targets and to test the hypothesis that toxicity involves the action of reactive oxygen species. Low micromolar levels of copper were sufficient to inhibit the growth of both WT and mutant stra ...[more]