All forms of life depend on a variety of heavy metal ions. Nearly one-third of all gene products require a metal ion for proper folding or function. However, even metals generally regarded as non-poisonous are toxic at higher concentrations, including the essential ones. Thus, sensitive regulation of metal uptake, storage, allocation and detoxification is needed to maintain cellular homeostasis of heavy metal ions.

Molecular Microbiology of Heavy Metals includes chapters on allocation of metals in cells, metal transporter, storage and metalloregulatory proteins, cellular responses to metal ion stress, transcription of genes involved in metal ion homeostasis, uptake of essential metals, metal efflux and other detoxification mechanisms. Also discussed are metal bioreporters for the nanomolar range of concentration and tools to address the metallome. Chapters in the second part cover specific metals such as Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Co, Zn and Mo as key nutrient elements and Ag, As, Cd, Hg and Cr as toxic elements.

Molecular Physiology of Metal-Microbe Interactions According to Mechanisms

Understanding How Cells Allocate Metals
Metalloregulators: Arbiters of Metal Sufficiency
Transcriptomic Responses of Bacterial Cells to Sublethal Metal Ion Stress
Bacterial Transition Metal Homeostasis
Biosensing of Heavy Metals
A Glossary of Microanalytical Tools to Assess the Metallome
Molecular Physiology of Metal-Microbe Interactions According to Groups
Acquisition of Iron by Bacteria
New Transport Deals for Old Iron
Manganese: Uptake, Biological Function, and Role in Virulence
How Bacteria Handle Copper
Microbial Physiology of Nickel and Cobalt
Zinc, Cadmium, and Lead Resistance and Homeostasis
Microbiology of the Toxic Noble Metal Silver
Mercury Microbiology: Resistance Systems, Environmental Aspects, Methylation, and Human Health
Arsenic Metabolism in Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Microbes
Reduction and Efflux of Chromate by Bacteria
Molybdate and Tungstate: Uptake, Homeostasis, Cofactors, and Enzymes.