The assembly and disassembly of the AcrAB-TolC three-component multidrug efflux pump.

In Gram-negative bacteria, tripartite efflux pumps, like AcrAB-TolC from Escherichia coli, play a prominent role in the resistance against multiple antibiotics. Transport of the drugs across the outer membrane and its coupling to the electrochemical gradient is dependent on the presence of all three components. As the activity of the E. coli AcrAB-TolC efflux pump is dependent on both the concentration of substrates and the extent of the electrochemical gradient across the inner membrane, the dynamics of tripartite pump assembly and disassembly might be crucial for effective net transport of drugs towards the outside of the cell.