Structural mechanism of intracellular autoregulation of zinc uptake in ZIP transporters.

Zinc is an essential micronutrient that supports all living organisms through regulating numerous biological processes. However, the mechanism of uptake regulation by intracellular Zn²⁺ status remains unclear. Here we report a cryo-electron microscopy structure of a ZIP-family transporter from Bordetella bronchiseptica at 3.05 Å resolution in an inward-facing, inhibited conformation. The transporter forms a homodimer, each protomer containing nine transmembrane helices and three metal ions. Two metal ions form a binuclear pore structure, and the third ion is located at an egress site facing the cytoplasm. The egress site is covered by a loop, and two histidine residues on the loop interact with the egress-site ion and regulate its release. Cell-based Zn²⁺ uptake and cell growth viability assays reveal a negative regulation of Zn²⁺ uptake through sensing intracellular Zn²⁺ status using a built-in sensor. These structural and biochemical analyses provide mechanistic insight into the autoregulation of zinc uptake across membranes. Zinc uptake and regulation are vital in all life forms. Here, authors describe a dimer of a ZIP-family zinc transporter in an inward-facing, inhibited conformation. A built-in zinc sensor is proposed to sense the intracellular zinc content to autoregulate zinc uptake across membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]