Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Immunology identified the key role of ZntR in zinc homeostasis of R. anatipestifer

Recently, the Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Immunology published a research paper entitled "ZntR is a critical regulator for zinc homeostasis and involved in pathogenicity inRiemerella anatipestifer" on the journalMicrobiology Spectrumof the American Society for Microbiology. In this study, a key regulator ZntR involved in maintaining zinc homeostasis inR. anatipestiferwas identified, and a series of genes involved in zinc transport and efflux were found by transcriptome and proteome sequencing, which laid a foundation for further study of zinc homeostasis inR. anatipestifer.

Zinc is an essential metal nutrient for the growth of all bacteria and participates in a variety of life process. Prokaryotes have 5-6% of the proteins with zinc as a cofactor. After invading the vertebrate host, bacteria need to fight against the host's “nutritional immunity” (the host limits the availability of metal such as iron, manganese, and zinc through a variety of ways) to compete for the necessary metal. The relationship between bacteria infecting mammals and the host 's “nutritional immunity” has been studied, but there are few studies on how infected avian bacteria adapt to the host's “nutritional immunity”. In this study, a regulator involved in the maintenance of zinc homeostasis was identified inR. anatipestifer. Through transcriptomics and proteomics assay, a series of new genes involved in zinc ion metabolism were found. In addition, the deletion ofzntRaffected its colonization in ducklings, suggesting that the purpose of preventing the pathogenicity of the bacteria could be achieved by interfering with the zinc homeostasis of the bacteria.

Professor Anchun Cheng and Professor Mafeng Liu from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University are the co-corresponding authors of the paper, and Hongmeng Ma is the first author of the paper. This research team has long focused on the metal homeostasis ofR. anatipestiferand its relationship with the host's “nutritional immunity”, and has achieved systematic research results in the metabolism of iron and manganese inR. anatipestifer. The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32172851), the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (2024NSFSC0034), the National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System (CARS-42-17) and other projects. Article link:https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03178-24