Mutations in the proximal binding site and F-loop of AdeJ confer resistance to efflux pump inhibitors

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Küçük Resim

Tarih

2025

Dergi Başlığı

Dergi ISSN

Cilt Başlığı

Yayıncı

American Society for Microbiology

Erişim Hakkı

info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess

Özet

Multidrug efflux is one of the major mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacteria. Inhibitors of efflux pumps potentiate the activities of antibiotics, and their discovery could lead to new therapeutic options. The AdeIJK pump in Acinetobacter baumannii is a promising target for efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) due to its high clinical importance and conservation, and several classes of EPIs targeting this and other A. baumannii efflux transporters have been recently reported. However, the mechanisms of action of these EPIs and their resistance liability remain underexplored. Here, we analyzed the impact of site-specific substitutions in the substrate/EPI translocation path of the inner membrane transporter AdeJ on efflux of substrate antibiotics and fluorescent probes and activities of substituted 4,6-diaminoquinoline EPIs. We found that substitutions in amino acid residues located in the entrance cleft (R701) and the flexible loop (E675) of AdeJ lead to resistance specifically against biphenyl-substituted EPIs, whereas the substitution of F178 in the distal binding pocket increased AdeJ sensitivity to certain naphthyl- and biphenyl-substituted EPIs. No major differences in docking scores and poses of substrates and EPIs were observed between the wild type and corresponding AdeJ variants for any of the mutations considered. This study concludes that substrates and EPIs bound along the translocation path of AdeJ participate in its conformational transitions and can either increase or decrease the rate of transport and therefore the efficiency of EPIs.

Açıklama

Anahtar Kelimeler

Acinetobacter, Antibiotic resistance, Efflux pump inhibitors, Multidrug efflux

Kaynak

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

WoS Q Değeri

Q1

Scopus Q Değeri

Q1

Cilt

69

Sayı

8

Künye