Biochemistry of bacterial multidrug efflux pumps

Int J Mol Sci. 2012;13(4):4484-4495. doi: 10.3390/ijms13044484. Epub 2012 Apr 10.

Abstract

Bacterial pathogens that are multi-drug resistant compromise the effectiveness of treatment when they are the causative agents of infectious disease. These multi-drug resistance mechanisms allow bacteria to survive in the presence of clinically useful antimicrobial agents, thus reducing the efficacy of chemotherapy towards infectious disease. Importantly, active multi-drug efflux is a major mechanism for bacterial pathogen drug resistance. Therefore, because of their overwhelming presence in bacterial pathogens, these active multi-drug efflux mechanisms remain a major area of intense study, so that ultimately measures may be discovered to inhibit these active multi-drug efflux pumps.

Keywords: MFS; Qac; Tet; antibiotic resistance; antiporter; efflux pump.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antiporters / chemistry*
  • Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Bacteria / pathogenicity
  • Bacterial Infections / drug therapy
  • Bacterial Infections / pathology
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antiporters
  • Virulence Factors