Transition metals are required trace elements for all forms of life. Due to their unique
inorganic and redox properties, transition metals serve as cofactors for enzymes and other …

Fungi must meet four criteria to infect humans: growth at human body temperatures,
circumvention or penetration of surface barriers, lysis and absorption of tissue, and …

Copper-containing enzymes perform fundamental functions by activating dioxygen (O 2) and
therefore allowing chemical energy-transfer for aerobic metabolism. The copper …

Copper is an essential micronutrient for both pathogens and the animal hosts they infect.
However, copper can also be toxic in cells due to its redox properties and ability to disrupt …

Copper is an essential trace element participating in many vital biological processes,
however it becomes a toxic agent when in excess. Thus, precise and tight regulation of …

Copper plays a dual role as a nutrient and a toxin during bacterial infections. While
uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains can use the copper-binding metallophore …

Since oxygen appeared in the biosphere some 3–5 billion years ago, all organisms have
had to deal with the hazards of potentially damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS), such …

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that causes serious
infections, most commonly of the central nervous system (CNS). C. neoformans is mainly …

Copper is both an essential nutrient and potentially toxic metal, and during infection the host
can exploit Cu in the control of pathogen growth. Here we describe a clever adaptation to Cu …

Infection by the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans causes lethal meningitis,
primarily in immune-compromised individuals. Colonization of the brain by C. neoformans is …