Structure-function Study of RND-type Multidrug Efflux Transporter: A New Intermediate on Its Transport Cycle

Abstract

We have continued crystal structural analyses of RND transporters, one of the main causes of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. It has been more than twenty years since we first determined the structure of E. coli AcrB, and in 2023, we solved the crystal structure of its homolog, BpeB from Burkholderia pseudomallei. Does the impact of our work diminish as we continue to analyze the homologous proteins over and over again? No. We can gain deeper insights into the molecular mechanism of the RND transporter by gathering the knowledge accumulated so far. Even if it is not the first structure in the world, we can still find some significance in the work if we analyze it properly.