Microbiology news and views
J. Mol. Micro. Biotechnol. 3: 171-177
MdfA, an Interesting Model Protein for Studying Multidrug Transport
Eitan Bibi, Julia Adler, Oded Lewinson, and Rotem Edgar
The resistance of cells to many drugs simultaneously (multidrug resistance) often involves the expression
of membrane transporters (Mdrs); each can recognize and expel a broad spectrum of chemically unrelated
drugs from the cell. Despite extensive research for many years, the actual mechanism of multidrug transport is
still largely unknown. In addition to general questions dealing with energy coupling, the molecular view of
substrate recognition by Mdrs is generally obscure. This mini-review describes structural and functional properties
of the Escherichia coli Mdr, MdfA, and discusses the possibility that this transporter may serve as a model
for studying the multidrug recognition phenomenon and the mechanism of multidrug transport.
Full article [pdf]
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