ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play an important role in various cellular processes. They display a similar architecture and share a mechanism which couples ATP hydrolysis to substrate transport. However, in the light of current data and recent experimental progress, this protein superfamily appears as multifaceted as their broad substrate range. Among the prokaryotic ABC transporters, MsbA can serve as a paradigm for research in this field. It is located in the inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and functions as a floppase for the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) precursor core-LPS, which is involved in the biogenesis of the bacterial outer membrane. While MsbA shows high similarity to eukaryotic ABC transporters, its expression in Gram-negative bacteria makes it conveniently accessible for many experimental approaches from spectroscopy to 3D structure determination. As an essential protein for bacterial membrane integrity, MsbA has also become an attractive target for the development of novel antibiotics. Furthermore, it serves as a model for multidrug efflux pumps. Here we provide an overview of recent findings and their relevance to the field, highlight the potential of methods such as solid-state NMR and EPR spectroscopy and provide a perspective for future work.
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December 2021
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Fuelled by the ‘resolution revolution’, cryo-EM has transformed our molecular understanding of transcriptional regulation in bacteria. As an example, Wood and colleagues (pp. 2695–2710) present the sialic acid gene repressor NanR (PDB-6WFG), where cryo-EM revealed the DNA-binding mode. “E. coli Bacteria” by NIAID is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cover artwork courtesy of Christopher Horne.
Review Article|
November 25 2021
MsbA: an ABC transporter paradigm
Christian Bonifer;
Christian Bonifer
Institute of Biophysical Chemistry and Centre of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max von Laue Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
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Clemens Glaubitz
Institute of Biophysical Chemistry and Centre of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max von Laue Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
Correspondence: Clemens Glaubitz (glaubitz@em.uni-frankfurt.de)
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
August 02 2021
Revision Received:
October 27 2021
Accepted:
November 03 2021
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2021
Biochem Soc Trans (2021) 49 (6): 2917–2927.
Article history
Received:
August 02 2021
Revision Received:
October 27 2021
Accepted:
November 03 2021
Citation
Christian Bonifer, Clemens Glaubitz; MsbA: an ABC transporter paradigm. Biochem Soc Trans 17 December 2021; 49 (6): 2917–2927. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20211030
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