Microbial nickel: cellular uptake and delivery to enzyme centers

Nickel enzymes allow microorganisms to access chemistry that can be vital for survival and virulence. In this review we highlight recent work on several systems that import nickel ions and deliver them to the active sites of these enzymes. Small molecules, in particular l-His and derivatives, may chelate nickel ions before import at TonB-dependent outer-membrane and ABC-type inner-membrane transporters. Inside the cell, nickel ions are used by maturation factors required to produce nickel enzymes such as [NiFe]-hydrogenase, urease and lactate racemase. These accessory proteins often exhibit metal selectivity and frequently include an NTP-hydrolyzing metallochaperone protein. The research described provides a deeper understanding of the processes that allow microorganisms to access nickel ions from the environment and incorporate them into nickel proteins.