Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

In vitro Investigation of the MexAB Efflux Pump From Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Published on: February 17, 2014
Three's company: component structures bring a closer view of tripartite drug efflux pumps
Jeyanthy Eswaran1, Eva Koronakis, Matthew K Higgins
1Cambridge University Department of Pathology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK.
Abstract:
Bacterial multidrug resistance is a serious clinical problem and is commonly conferred by tripartite efflux 'pumps' in the prokaryotic cell envelope. Crystal structures of the three components of a drug efflux pump have now been solved: the outer membrane TolC exit duct in the year 2000, the inner membrane AcrB antiporter in 2002 and the periplasmic adaptor MexA in 2004. These structures have enhanced our understanding of the principles underlying pump assembly and operation, and present pumps as new drug targets.
More Related Videos
05:06Characterizing Multidrug Efflux Systems in Acinetobacter baumannii Using an Efflux-Deficient Bacterial Strain and a Single-Copy Gene Expression System
Published on: January 5, 2024
10:43Expression, Detergent Solubilization, and Purification of a Membrane Transporter, the MexB Multidrug Resistance Protein
Published on: December 3, 2010
Related Concept Videos
Carrier-Mediated Transport
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct microscopic...
Three-Compartment Open Model
Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.
Drug Elimination by Renal Route: Tubular Secretion
Facilitated Diffusion
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...