Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 3, 2025

A Microscopic Phenotypic Assay for the Quantification of Intracellular Mycobacteria Adapted for High-throughput/High-content Screening
Published on: January 17, 2014
Diversity and novel mutations in membrane transporters of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Muhammad Tahir Khan1, Taj Ali Khan2, Irshad Ahmad3
1Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), The University of Lahore, Pakistan.
Abstract:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), encodes a family of membrane proteins belonging to Resistance-Nodulation-Cell Division (RND) permeases also called multidrug resistance pumps. Mycobacterial membrane protein Large (MmpL) transporters represent a subclass of RND transporters known to participate in exporting of lipid components across the cell envelope. These proteins perform an essential role in MTB survival; however, there are no data regarding mutations in MmpL, polyketide synthase (PKS) and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase FadE proteins from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This study aimed to screen mutations in transmembrane transporter proteins including MmpL, PKS and Fad through whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in local isolates of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Fourteen samples were collected from TB patients and drug susceptibility testing was performed. However, only three samples were completely sequenced. Moreover, 209 whole-genome sequences of the same geography were also retrieved from NCBI GenBank to analyze the diversity of mutations in MmpL, PKS and Fad proteins. Among the 212 WGS (Accession ID: PRJNA629298, PRJNA629388, and ERR2510337-ERR2510345, ERR2510546-ERR2510645), numerous mutations in Fad (n = 756), PKS (n = 479), and MmpL (n = 306) have been detected. Some novel mutations were also detected in MmpL, PKS and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase Fad. Novel mutations including Asn576Ser in MmpL8, Val943Gly in MmpL9 and Asn145Asp have been detected in MmpL3. The presence of a large number of mutations in the MTB membrane may have functional consequences on proteins. However, further experimental studies are needed to elucidate the variants' effect on MmpL, PKS and FadE functions.
Related Concept Videos
The Significance of Membrane Transport
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
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:
Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...
Membrane Transporters
Transporters are mainly composed of alpha-helices, built from bundles of ten or more helices traversing the plasma membrane. The solute-binding sites are located midway, where some of the helices are broken or distorted, making space for the binding site through...
Carrier-Mediated Transport
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
Mutations in Microorganisms

