Nucleotide and deduced protein sequences of the class D tetracycline resistance determinant: relationship to other antimicrobial transport proteins.

The nucleotide sequence of the plasmid pRA1 gene encoding the TetA(D) tetracycline/H+ antiporter was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence was compared with those of other antimicrobial and antiseptic transporters. The deduced product of tetA(D) is a 41.1-kDa protein consisting of 394 amino acids comprising 12 membrane-spanning domains. Three classes of amino acid motifs found in TetA(D) are highly conserved in other transporters, implying that they participate in structures necessary for substrate recognition, binding, or translocation. A common mechanism of transport is suggested, with subtle sequence variations accounting for varied substrate specificities, modes of transport, and directions of transport.