Characterization of the metal receptor sites in Escherichia coli Zur, an ultrasensitive zinc(II) metalloregulatory protein

Research shows that sub-femtomolar range of zinc(II) is enough to cause half-maximal rate of the transcriptional activity in Zur protein of Escherichia coli. Data indicate that Zur possesses two distinct metal binding sites and the coordination between the two binding sites leads to an exceptional zinc sensitivity.