Correlating the transport cycle of small multidrug resistance transporters

Abstract

Antibiotics have significantly improved human health around the globe. However, evolution has increased antibiotic resistance among bacteria, creating a critical public health concern. Thus, it is important to understand antibiotic resistance mechanisms bacteria. Members of the small multidrug resistance (SMR) protein family confer resistance to antibiotics by leveraging an established proton gradient. SMR proteins are small homodimers and are broadly classified into Qac and Gdx sub-families based on selective substrate transport across the membrane.