Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Examining the Conformational Dynamics of Membrane Proteins in situ with Site-directed Fluorescence Labeling
Published on: May 29, 2011
Potential application of network descriptions for understanding conformational changes and protonation states of ABC
Tamás Hegedűs1, Gergely Gyimesi, Merse E Gáspár
1Membrane Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
Abstract:
The ABC (ATP Binding Cassette) transporter protein superfamily comprises a large number of ubiquitous and functionally versatile proteins conserved from archaea to humans. ABC transporters have a key role in many human diseases and also in the development of multidrug resistance in cancer and in parasites. Although a dramatic progress has been achieved in ABC protein studies in the last decades, we are still far from a detailed understanding of their molecular functions. Several aspects of pharmacological ABC transporter targeting also remain unclear. Here we summarize the conformational and protonation changes of ABC transporters and the potential use of this information in pharmacological design. Network related methods, which recently became useful tools to describe protein structure and dynamics, have not been applied to study allosteric coupling in ABC proteins as yet. A detailed description of the strengths and limitations of these methods is given, and their potential use in describing ABC transporter dynamics is outlined. Finally, we highlight possible future aspects of pharmacological utilization of network methods and outline the future trends of this exciting field.
Related Concept Videos
ABC Transporters: Exporter
ABC Transporters: Importer
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:
The Significance of Membrane Transport
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
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...
Active Transport
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...
Secondary Active Transport
