This book is the first volume of a two-volume set summarizing 40 years of key research findings
directly related to metal-resistant Cupriavidus Ralstonia (Betaproteobacteria). In this first
volume the historical and geographical context of these bacteria which are mostly found in
industrial and polluted environments linked to zinc and other non-ferrous metallurgy is
sketched to illustrate the interactions between bacteria and human activities and the possible
evolutionary consequences on bacterial genomes especially as far as the association of metal
resistance genes with mobile genetic elements is concerned. A detailed description of the
response and underlying genetic determinants of type strain Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 to a
variety of metals is provided. With high level resistance to cadmium chromate cobalt copper
mercury nickel lead and zinc mediated by well-known genes for detoxification carried by its
megaplasmids pMOL28 and pMOL30. This description is complemented with the genomic context of
the metal response genes in C. metallidurans CH34 with a focus on its mobilome including
insertion sequence elements transposons integrative and conjugative elements and genomic
islands. In addition in the second volume structural and catalytic data from bacterial
primary and secondary transporters (P-ATPases tripartite chemiosmotic cation proton efflux
systems cation diffusion facilitators Major Facilitator Superfamily and some minor
categories) are outlined and detailed for the corresponding C. metallidurans proteins. The
available three-dimensional structures of C. metallidurans proteins are reviewed in detail
including RND and membrane fusion proteins (from tripartite chemiosmotic cation proton efflux
systems) sigma and anti-sigma regulatory proteins of the cnr efflux system (resistance to
cobalt and nickel) and various periplasmic proteins mainly involved in the response to copper
and mercury.
