Structure of ATP synthase from ESKAPE pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

Sci Adv. 2022 Feb 18;8(7):eabl5966. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abl5966. Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Abstract

The global spread of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections urgently calls for the identification of novel drug targets. We solved the electron cryo-microscopy structure of the F1Fo-adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) synthase from A. baumannii in three distinct conformational states. The nucleotide-converting F1 subcomplex reveals a specific self-inhibition mechanism, which supports a unidirectional ratchet mechanism to avoid wasteful ATP consumption. In the membrane-embedded Fo complex, the structure shows unique structural adaptations along both the entry and exit pathways of the proton-conducting a-subunit. These features, absent in mitochondrial ATP synthases, represent attractive targets for the development of next-generation therapeutics that can act directly at the culmination of bioenergetics in this clinically relevant pathogen.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acinetobacter baumannii*
  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism
  • Cryoelectron Microscopy

Substances

  • Adenosine Triphosphate