Electrostatic lock in the transport cycle of the multidrug resistance transporter EmrE

Abstract

EmrE is a small membrane transporter found inEscherichia colithat exports drug-like molecules from the cell, contributing to antibiotic resistance. In EmrE, as well as in the wider small-multidrug resistance transporter family, a specific anionic amino acid (E14) has been implicated in governing the conformational changes that export drugs. However, due to sparse structural information, the exact interactions remain unidentified. Through interactive molecular dynamics to incorporate existing cryo-electron microscopy data, we create a fully refined atomic model of EmrE. We then embed this model in a lipid bilayer and evaluate the interactions within EmrE under different loading states. We find that E14 makes specific hydrogen bonds to neighboring residues, coupling observed experimental phenomena to interactions at the atomic scale.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jul 19, 2018
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1722399115

Entities

People

  • Emad Tajkhorshid
  • Josh V Vermaas
  • Susan B. Rempe

Organizations

  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Office of Science
  • Sandia National Laboratories
  • University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign

Tags

Readers

  • Forest Ecology
  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics