ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) Transporters and Antibiotic Resistance: Specialized Systems for Capsular Polysaccharide Export in Gram-Negative Pathogens
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABC transporters are a large family of proteins that mediate the export or import a variety of molecules, including capsular polysaccharides. These polysaccharide capsules are an important virulence factor that protect bacteria from host immune system attacks, antibiotics, and physicochemical changes in their environment. In Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, ABC transporter-dependent systems facilitate the export of capsular polysaccharides. These transport systems are composed of three parts: the ABC transporter and the polysaccharide copolymerase protein in the inner membrane and the outer membrane polysaccharide export protein in the outer membrane. The lipid anchor of the capsular polysaccharide binds to a pocket between the two subunits of the ABC transporter transmembrane domain. The three parts of the ABC transporter-dependent system form a tunnel through which the capsular polysaccharide is exported using energy from ATP hydrolysis. Knowledge of the ABC transporter-dependent system and its function is incomplete, requiring further research to better understand the processes of capsular polysaccharide export. This may also allow, in the future, to develop new molecules that inhibit capsular polysaccharide export, which would help the host immune system fight Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria coated with a polysaccharide capsule. This review presents the latest findings on ABC transporter-dependent systems that export polysaccharide capsules in Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria.
Source: Polysaccharides
Institution: European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Medicine
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,207
OpenAlex ID: W4410170521