Abstract

The cell operates at many levels:  (A) the molecular where components have defined interactions that can be measured and structurally described in vitro with high accuracy and related directly to the in vivo context.  (B) cellular, where the arrangements of components in the cell are vital to how it functions and responds to challenges.  (C) population, where interaction between individual cells and how they express different levels of protein components dictates a functional outcome,  (D) spatial, where the arrangement in three dimensions dictates how a particular population of cells responds to their environment.  Obviously these levels are interconnected, and it is a question of how these respond allows us to understand the emerging properties of a cellular system.  We have been interested for a number of years in how bacteria respond to the challenges of different metal ions in their environment. This is of keen interest not only in understanding the fundamental underpinning biology but also in applications of metal ions as powerful antimicrobials.  Using the example of the copper/silver resistance system from E.coli we will examine how bacteria cope with heterogeneous metal challenges and the future challenges in understanding the  response across the levels of described above.