Journal
MOLECULES AND CELLS
Volume 38, Issue 2, Pages 180-186Publisher
KOREAN SOC MOLECULAR & CELLULAR BIOLOGY
DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2015.2277
Keywords
complex structure; electron microscopy; membrane protein; multidrug efflux pump
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Funding
- Korean Healthcare Technology R&D Project, Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare [H12C0947]
- Korea Basic Science Institute [T34518]
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Escherichia coli AcrAB-TolC is a multidrug efflux pump that expels a wide range of toxic substrates. The dynamic nature of the binding or low affinity between the components has impeded elucidation of how the three components assemble in the functional state. Here, we created fusion proteins composed of AcrB, a transmembrane linker, and two copies of AcrA. The fusion protein exhibited acridine pumping activity, suggesting that the protein reflects the functional structure in vivo. To discern the assembling mode with TolC, the AcrBA fusion protein was incubated with TolC or a chimeric protein containing the TolC aperture tip region. Three-dimensional structures of the complex proteins were determined through transmission electron microscopy. The overall structure exemplifies the adaptor bridging model, wherein the funnel-like AcrA hexamer forms an intermeshing cogwheel interaction with the alpha-barrel tip region of TolC, and a direct interaction between AcrB and TolC is not allowed. These observations provide a structural blueprint for understanding multidrug resistance in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria.
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