Krah A
On the ion coupling mechanism of the MATE transporter ClbM
Bacteria use a number of mechanisms to defend themselves from antimicrobial drugs. One important defense strategy is the ability to export drugs by multidrug transporters. One class of multidrug transporter, the so-called multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) transporters, extrude a variety of antibiotic compounds from the bacterial cytoplasm.
ReadInsights into water accessible pathways and the inactivation mechanism of proton translocation by the membrane-embedded domain of V-type ATPases
V-type ATPases are multi-protein complexes, which acidify cellular compartments in eukaryotes. They pump protons against an ion gradient, driven by a mechano-chemical framework that exploits ATP hydrolysis as an energy source. This process drives the rotation of the so-called c-ring, a membrane embedded complex in the Vo-domain of the V-type ATPase, resulting in translocation of protons across the membrane. One way in which the enzyme is regulated is by disassembly and reassembly of the V1-domain with the Vo-domain, which inactivates and reactivates the enzyme, respectively.
ReadSingle mutations in the ε subunit from thermophilic Bacillus PS3 generate a high binding affinity site for ATP
The ε subunit from ATP synthases acts as an ATP sensor in the bacterial cell to prevent ATP hydrolysis and thus the waste of ATP under conditions of low ATP concentration. However, the ATP binding affinities from various bacterial organisms differ markedly, over several orders of magnitude.
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