From substrate specificity to promiscuity: hybrid ABC transporters for osmoprotectants

What is it about?

The synthetic construction of a functional hybrid osmoprotectant ABC transporter was accomplished through transplantation of a xenbogenetic binding protein. The osmostress protectant transporters OpuB and OpuC from B. subtilis evolved through a gene duplication event, yet, their substrate profiles are remarkably different: OpuB possesses narrow substrate specificity, while OpuC is promiscuous. Functional hybrids of these two ABC transporters were synthetically constructed by reciprocally exchanging the genes for the corresponding OpuBC and OpuCC substrate-binding proteins. OpuB::OpuCC became a promiscuous transporter.

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