Transport, outer membrane

Porin channels are impHcated in the transport of cephalosporins because ceds deficient in porins are much more impermeable than are ceds that are rich in porins. The porins appear to function as a molecular sieve, adowing molecules of relatively low molecular weight to gain access to the periplasmic space by passive diffusion. In enterobacteria, a clear correlation exists between porin quantity and cephalosporin resistance, suggesting that the outer membrane is the sole barrier to permeabdity. However, such a relationship is not clearly defined for Pseudomonas aeruginosa where additional barriers may be involved (139,144,146). 

The next steps of glucose catabolism are called the citric acid cycle. The pyruvic acid formed in glycolysis is transported into the mitochondria, which arc subcellular organelles with double (inner and outer) membranes. They are referred to as the powerhous-... 

Furthermore, if the antibiotic passes membranes through a specific port of entry, its mutational loss leads to resistance. The lack of the outer membrane protein OprD in P. aeruginosa causes resistance to the (3-lactam antibiotic imipenem. Fosfomycin passes the cytoplasmic membrane via an L-a-glycerol phosphate permease. This transport system is not essential for bacterial growth and therefore mutants with a reduced expression are frequently selected under therapy. 

Transport signals can be of the import or the export type. Import signals are contained in proteins that are transported into the individual compartments of mitochondria (matrix, inner membrane, intramembrane compartment, outer membrane), peroxisomes (lumen, boundary membrane) and into the interior of... 

Laticauda semifasciata venom added to the outside bathing solution of frog skin causes an increase in transmural potential difference and short-circuit current, indicating the change in the Na transport system. The venom-induced stimulatory effects can be explained as being either due to an increase in Na permeability of the outer membrane or by an increase in the activity of the Na -pump (22). 

Figure 20.1 Schematic diagram illustrating how antidepressants increase the concentration of extraneuronal neurotransmitter (noradrenaline and/or 5-HT). In the absence of drug (b), monoamine oxidase on the outer membrane of mitochondria metabolises cytoplasmic neurotransmitter and limits its concentration. Also, transmitter released by exocytosis is sequestered from the extracellular space by the membrane-bound transporters which limit the concentration of extraneuronal transmitter. In the presence of a MAO inhibitor (a), the concentration of cytoplasmic transmitter increases, causing a secondary increase in the vesicular pool of transmitter (illustrated by the increase in the size of the vesicle core). As a consequence, exocytotic release of transmitter is increased. Blocking the inhibitory presynaptic autoreceptors would also increase transmitter release, as shown by the absence of this receptor in the figure. In the presence of a neuronal reuptake inhibitor (c), the membrane-bound transporter is inactivated and the clearance of transmitter from the synapse is diminished...

As described above, because MAO is bound to mitochondrial outer membranes, MAOIs first increase the concentration of monoamines in the neuronal cytosol, followed by a secondary increase in the vesicle-bound transmitter. The enlarged vesicular pool will increase exocytotic release of transmitter, while an increase in cytoplasmic monoamines will both reduce carrier-mediated removal of transmitter from the synapse (because the favourable concentration gradient is reduced) and could even lead to net export of transmitter by the membrane transporter. That MAOIs increase the concentration of extracellular monoamines has been confirmed using intracranial microdialysis (Ferrer and Artigas 1994). 

An alternative to most of these mechanisms is the existence of efficient efflux systems, so that toxic concentrations of the drug are not achieved. There are three major families of proton-dependent multidrug efflux systems (1) the major facilitator superfamily, (2) the small multidrug resistance family, and (3) the resistance/nodulation/cell division family (Paulsen et al. 1996). It should be emphasized that several of these systems are involved not with antibiotic efflux but with, for example, acriflavine, chlorhexidine, and crystal violet. An attempt is made only to outline a few salient features of the resistance/nodulation/cell division family that mediates antibiotic efflux, and these are given in Table 3.3 (Nikaido 1996). They consist of a transporter, a linker, and an outer membrane channel. 

Transporter Linker Outer Membrane Channel Organism Substrates... 

The transport is accomplished with the participation of carnitine, which takes up the acyl from acyl-CoA on the outer membrane side. Acylcamitine assisted by carnitine translocase diffuses to the inner side of the membrane to give its acyl to the CoA located in the matrix. The process of reversible acyl transfer between CoA and carnitine on the outer and inner sides of the membrane is effected by the enzyme acyl-CoA-camitine transferase. 

FhuA-mediated Ferrichrome Transport Across the Outer Membrane of . coli... 

Mainly the outer membrane ferrichrome receptor and transporter FhuA will be discussed because most structural and functional studies have been performed with this protein. In fact, FhuA was the first outer membrane protein identified (called TonA), with known functions as a phage and colicin receptor, that are related to iron transport (for a historical account, see Braun and Hantke 1977). 

The crystal structure of FepA, the outer membrane transporter of Fe3+-enterobactin, has also been determined (Figure 3.3), and has a structure similar to the FhuA structure (Buchanan et al, 1999). In the FepA structure, the TonB box (residues 12-18) can be clearly seen located inside the barrel and extending into the periplasm, as one would expect from its interaction with the periplasmic portion of TonB. 

FhuA and FepA will prove to be the reference structures for a large group of bacterial outer-membrane transporters that take up bacterial Fe3+-siderophores, Fe3+ released from host transferrin and lactoferrin, haem, and haem released from haemoglobin and haemopexin. It is assumed that all iron sources are transported... 

The Fur protein regulates iron uptake systems in many Gram-negative bacteria. The striking phenotype of the first fur mutants isolated was the overexpression of the outer membrane receptors for siderophore iron transport. In addition, excretion of siderophores under iron-rich growth conditions was observed in these mutants, indicating that the biosynthesis of siderophores is also regulated by Fur. 

FhuE FhuE Outer membrane transport (coprogen) K-12 (Hantke, 1983)... 

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