CzcD is a heavy metal ion transporter involved in regulation of heavy metal resistance in Ralstonia sp strain CH34

The Czc system of Ralstonia sp. strain CH34 mediates resistance to cobalt, zinc, and cadmium through ion efflux catalyzed by the CzcCB(2)A cation-prot on antiporter. The CzcD protein is involved in the regulation of the Czc sy stem. It is a membrane-bound protein with at least four transmembrane alpha -helices and is a member of a subfamily of the cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) protein family, which occurs in all three domains of life. The delet ion of czcD in a Ralstonia sp. led to partially constitutive expression of the Czc system due to an increased transcription of the structural czcCBA g enes, both in the absence and presence of inducers. The czcD deletion could be fully complemented in trans by CzcD and two other CDF proteins from Sac charomyces cerevisiae, ZRC1p and COT1p. All three proteins mediated a small but significant resistance to cobalt, zinc, and cadmium in Ralstonia, and this resistance was based on a reduced accumulation of the cations. Thus, C zcD appeared to repress the Czc system by an export of the inducing cations .