Two zinc uptake systems contribute to the full virulence of Listeria monocytogenes during growth in vitro and in vivo

We report here the identification and characterization of two zinc uptake systems, ZurAM and ZinABC, in the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Transcription of both operons was zinc responsive and regulated by the zinc-sensing repressor Zur. Deletion of either zurAM or zinA had no detectable effect on growth in defined media, but a double zurAM zinA mutant was unable to grow in the absence of zinc supplementation. Deletion of zinA had no detectable effect on intracellular growth in HeLa epithelial cells. In contrast, growth of the zurAM mutant was significantly impaired in these cells, indicating the importance of the ZurAM system during intracellular growth. Notably, the deletion of both zinA and zurAM severely attenuated intracellular growth, with the double mutant being defective in actin-based motility and unable to spread from cell to cell. Deletion of either zurAM or zinA had a significant effect on virulence in an oral mouse model, indicating that both zinc uptake systems are important in vivo and establishing the importance of zinc acquisition during infection by L. monocytogenes. The presence of two zinc uptake systems may offer a mechanism by which L. monocytogenes can respond to zinc deficiency within a variety of environments and during different stages of infection, with each system making distinct contributions under different stress conditions. © 2012, American Society for Microbiology.