The role of bacterial transport systems in the removal of host antimicrobial peptides in Gram-negative bacteria.

ABSTRACT: Antibiotic resistance is a global issue that threatens our progress in healthcare and life expectancy. In recent years, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been considered as promising alternatives to the classic antibiotics. AMPs are potentially superior due to their lower rate of resistance development, since they primarily target the bacterial membrane ('Achilles' heel' of the bacteria). However, bacteria have developed mechanisms of AMP resistance, including the removal of AMPs to the extracellular space by efflux pumps such as the MtrCDE or AcrAB-TolC systems, and the internalization of AMPs to the cytoplasm by the Sap transporter, followed by proteolytic digestion. In this review, we focus on AMP transport as a resistance mechanism compiling all the experimental evidence for the invol

SUBMITTER: Blair JMA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9629497 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature