Structure of MsbA from E. coli: a homolog of the multidrug resistance ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a serious medical problem and presents a major challenge to the treatment of disease and the development of novel therapeutics. ABC transporters that are associated with multidrug resistance (MDR-ABC transporters) translocate hydrophobic drugs and lipids from the inner to the outer leaflet of the cell membrane. To better elucidate the structural basis for the "flip-flop" mechanism of substrate movement across the lipid bilayer, we have determined the structure of the lipid flippase MsbA from Escherichia coli by x-ray crystallography to a resolution of 4.5 angstroms. MsbA is organized as a homodimer with each subunit containing six transmembrane alpha-helices and a nucleotide-binding domain. The asymmetric distribution of charged residues lining a central chamber suggests a general mechanism for the translocation of substrate by MsbA and other MDR-ABC transporters. The structure of MsbA can serve as a model for the MDR-ABC transporters that confer multidrug resistance to cancer cells and infectious microorganisms.