Conformational plasticity across phylogenetic clusters of RND multidrug efflux pumps and its impact on substrate specificity.

Antibiotic efflux plays a key role for the multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. Multidrug efflux pumps of the resistance nodulation and cell division (RND) superfamily function as part of cell envelope spanning systems and provide resistance to diverse antibiotics. Here, we identify two phylogenetic clusters of RND proteins with conserved binding pocket residues.

Coupling of remote alternating-access transport mechanisms for protons and substrates in the multidrug efflux pump AcrB.

Membrane transporters of the RND superfamily confer multidrug resistance to pathogenic bacteria, and are essential for cholesterol metabolism and embryonic development in humans. We use high-resolution X-ray crystallography and computational methods to delineate the mechanism of the homotrimeric RND-type proton/drug antiporter AcrB, the active component of the major efflux system AcrAB-TolC in Escherichia coli, and one most complex and intriguing membrane transporters known to date. Analysis of wildtype AcrB and four functionally-inactive variants reveals an unprecedented mechanism that involves two remote alternating-access conformational cycles within each protomer, namely one for protons in the transmembrane region and another for drugs in the periplasmic domain, 50 Å apart.

Transport of drugs by the multidrug transporter AcrB involves an access and a deep binding pocket that are separated by a switch-loop.

AcrAB-TolC is the major efflux protein complex in Escherichia coli extruding a vast variety of antimicrobial agents from the cell. The inner membrane component AcrB is a homotrimer, and it has been postulated that the monomers cycle consecutively through three conformational stages designated loose (L), tight (T), and open (O) in a concerted fashion. Binding of drugs has been shown at a periplasmic deep binding pocket in the T conformation.

Analysis of AcrB and AcrB/DARPin ligand complexes by LILBID MS.

The AcrA/AcrB/TolC complex is responsible for intrinsic multidrug resistance (MDR) in Escherichia coli. Together with the periplasmic adaptor protein AcrA and the outer membrane channel TolC, the inner membrane component AcrB forms an efflux complex that spans both the inner and outer membrane and bridges the periplasm of the Gram-negative cell. Within the entire tripartite complex, homotrimeric AcrB plays a central role in energy transduction and substrate selection.

Structural and functional aspects of the multidrug efflux pump AcrB.

The tripartite efflux system AcrA/AcrB/TolC is the main pump in Escherichia coli for the efflux of multiple antibiotics, dyes, bile salts and detergents. The inner membrane component AcrB is central to substrate recognition and energy transduction and acts as a proton/drug antiporter. Recent structural studies show that homotrimeric AcrB can adopt different monomer conformations representing consecutive states in an allosteric functional rotation transport cycle.

The AcrB efflux pump: conformational cycling and peristalsis lead to multidrug resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance of human pathogenic bacteria is an emerging problem for global public health. This resistance is often associated with the overproduction of membrane transport proteins that are capable to pump chemotherapeutics, antibiotics, detergents, dyes and organic solvents out of the cell. In Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, tripartite multidrug efflux systems extrude a large variety of cytotoxic substances from the cell membrane directly into the medium bypassing the periplasm and the outer membrane.

Engineered disulfide bonds support the functional rotation mechanism of multidrug efflux pump AcrB.

The AcrA-AcrB-TolC complex is the major multidrug efflux pump in Escherichia coli. The asymmetric structure of the trimeric inner-membrane component AcrB implies functional rotation of the monomers and a peristaltic mode of drug efflux. This mechanism suggests the occurrence of conformational changes in the periplasmic pore domain through the movements of subdomains during cycling of the monomers through the different states loose (L), tight (T) and open (O).

Structural asymmetry of AcrB trimer suggests a peristaltic pump mechanism.

The AcrA/AcrB/TolC complex spans the inner and outer membranes of Escherichia coli and serves as its major drug-resistance pump. Driven by the proton motive force, it mediates the efflux of bile salts, detergents, organic solvents, and many structurally unrelated antibiotics. Here, we report a crystallographic structure of trimeric AcrB determined at 2.