A series of processes that forms an integrated mechanism by which a cell or an organism detects the depletion of primary sulfur sources and then activates genes to scavenge the last traces of the primary sulfur source and to transport and metabolize alternate sulfur sources. The utilization process begins when the cell or organism detects sulfur levels, includes the activation of genes whose products detect, transport or metabolize sulfur-containing compounds, and ends when the sulfur is incorporated into the cell or organism's metabolism.

The directed movement of L-cystine (also known as dicysteine) into, out of or within a cell, or between cells, by means of some agent such as a transporter or pore.

The directed movement of amino acids, organic acids containing one or more amino substituents, into, out of or within a cell, or between cells, by means of some agent such as a transporter or pore.

The membrane surrounding a cell that separates the cell from its external environment. It consists of a phospholipid bilayer and associated proteins.

The component of the plasma membrane consisting of the gene products and protein complexes having at least some part of their peptide sequence embedded in the hydrophobic region of the membrane.

A complex for the transport of metabolites into and out of the cell, typically comprised of four domains; two membrane-associated domains and two ATP-binding domains at the intracellular face of the membrane, that form a central pore through the plasma membrane. Each of the four core domains may be encoded as a separate polypeptide or the domains can be fused in any one of a number of ways into multidomain polypeptides. In Bacteria and Archaebacteria, ABC transporters also include substrate binding proteins to bind substrate external to the cytoplasm and deliver it to the transporter.