A research team of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) was able to describe with atomic detail how molecules are transported through biological membranes. Computer simulations and spectroscopic experiments provided insights into the work of so-called ABC transporters. These proteins play an important role in the drug resistance of tumour cells and bacteria.
The researchers within the groups of Prof Dr Lars Schäfer and Prof Dr Enrica Bordignon, who work together in the Excellence Cluster Ruhr explores Solvation, Resolv in short, report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (“Atomistic Mechanism of Large-Scale Conformational Transition in a Heterodimeric ABC Exporter”).

“ABC transporters are fascinating biological nanomachines”, says Lars Schäfer, head of the Molecular Simulation research group. These proteins couple the binding and chemical cleavage of ATP molecules, the chemical energy unit of the cell, with the transport of molecules through biological membranes.

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