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ABC Transporters: Importer

ABC Transporters: Importer

ATP-binding cassette or ABC transporters are a class of ATP-driven pumps that hydrolyze ATP to move solutes across the membrane. They can be grouped into importers and exporters. While exporters are present in all domains of life, importers exist only in bacteria and some plants.
In bacteria, based on the number of transmembrane helices and the chemical nature of their substrates, the ABC importers can be divided into three types:

ABC Transporters: Exporter

ABC Transporters: Exporter

ATP-binding cassette or ABC transporter is the largest superfamily of integral membrane proteins. The transporters have transmembrane-binding domains (TMDs) and nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs). The TMDs are specific to their substrates, whereas the NBDs are similar to engines that complete ATP hydrolysis to complete the substrate transport. They can be full transporters consisting of two TMDs and NBDs, half transporters with one TMD and NBD, while some encoded with a single TMD or NBD are...

Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport

Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport

Certain large, lipid-insoluble drug molecules that resemble amino acids, peptides, or glucose, require specialized carrier proteins to facilitate their diffusion across cell membranes. This transport can occur through either facilitated diffusion, which does not require energy input, or active transport, which does require energy input.
Facilitated diffusion is a passive process that utilizes human Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters. These transporters bind to the drug, undergo structural...

The Significance of Membrane Transport

The Significance of Membrane Transport

The transport of solutes across the cell membrane is essential for metabolic processes, like maintaining cell size and volume, generating the action potential, exchanging nutrients and gases, etc. Membrane transport can be either passive or active. It can be simple diffusion, facilitated, or mediated transport aided by transport proteins such as transporters and channels.
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...

Secondary Active Transport

Secondary Active Transport

One example of how cells use the energy contained in electrochemical gradients is demonstrated by glucose transport into cells. The ion vital to this process is sodium (Na+), which is typically present in higher concentrations extracellularly than in the cytosol. Such a concentration difference is due, in part, to the action of an enzyme "pump" embedded in the cellular membrane that actively expels Na+ from a cell. Importantly, as this pump contributes to the high concentration of...

Secondary Active Transport

Secondary Active Transport

One example of how cells use the energy contained in electrochemical gradients is demonstrated by glucose transport into cells. The ion vital to this process is sodium (Na+), which is typically present in higher concentrations extracellularly than in the cytosol. Such a concentration difference is due, in part, to the action of an enzyme “pump” embedded in the cellular membrane that actively expels Na+ from a cell. Importantly, as this pump contributes to the high concentration of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

ABCG5/G8 Crystallization in a Lipidic Bicelle Environment for X-Ray Crystallography

ABCG5/G8 Crystallization in a Lipidic Bicelle Environment for X-Ray Crystallography

Published on: August 25, 2023

Structural insights into ABC transporter mechanism.

Michael L Oldham¹, Amy L Davidson, Jue Chen

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. mloldham@purdue.edu

Current Opinion in Structural Biology

|October 25, 2008

Summary

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters use ATP energy to move substances across membranes. Analysis of ABC transporter structures reveals rigid-body rotations of transmembrane subunits drive this alternating-access mechanism, coupling ATP hydrolysis to transport.

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Real Time Measurements of Membrane Protein:Receptor Interactions Using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)

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Published on: November 29, 2014

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Structural Biology
Membrane Transport

Background:

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are crucial membrane proteins.
They utilize ATP hydrolysis to translocate diverse substrates across cellular membranes.
Recent advancements in structural biology have provided detailed insights into ABC transporter mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze conformational differences in homologous ABC transporters.
To elucidate the mechanism of alternating-access in ABC transporters.
To understand how ATP hydrolysis is coupled to substrate translocation.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of available crystal structures of homologous ABC transporters.
Examination of conformational states (inward-facing and outward-facing).

Main Results:

ABC transporters oscillate between inward-facing and outward-facing conformations.
Substrate translocation pathways open to either the cytoplasm or the opposite side of the membrane.
Rigid-body rotations of transmembrane subunits are observed.

Conclusions:

Alternating-access is achieved through coordinated movements of transporter subunits.
The opening and closing of nucleotide-binding subunits are coupled to transmembrane subunit rotations.
This mechanism effectively couples ATP hydrolysis to the energy-dependent translocation of substrates.