A multidrug ABC transporter with a taste for GTP

Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 2;8(1):2309. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20558-z.

Abstract

During the evolution of cellular bioenergetics, many protein families have been fashioned to match the availability and replenishment in energy supply. Molecular motors and primary transporters essentially need ATP to function while proteins involved in cell signaling or translation consume GTP. ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters are one of the largest families of membrane proteins gathering several medically relevant members that are typically powered by ATP hydrolysis. Here, a Streptococcus pneumoniae ABC transporter responsible for fluoroquinolones resistance in clinical settings, PatA/PatB, is shown to challenge this concept. It clearly favors GTP as the energy supply to expel drugs. This preference is correlated to its ability to hydrolyze GTP more efficiently than ATP, as found with PatA/PatB reconstituted in proteoliposomes or nanodiscs. Importantly, the ATP and GTP concentrations are similar in S. pneumoniae supporting the physiological relevance of GTP as the energy source of this bacterial transporter.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / metabolism*
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Fluoroquinolones / metabolism
  • Guanosine Triphosphate / metabolism*
  • Hydrolysis
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / drug effects
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / enzymology*
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / metabolism
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
  • Fluoroquinolones
  • Guanosine Triphosphate