Using x-ray crystallography at SSRL and other U.S. light sources, Geoffrey Chang's group at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, has recently solved the crystal structure of the Escherichia coli multidrug resistance protein E (EmrE). EmrE is a multidrug transporter that actively pushes drugs from bacterial cells, thereby reducing the efficacy of commonly prescribed antibiotics such as erythromycin and tetracycline in fighting infectious diseases.

The structural information revealed by Dr. Chang's ongoing multidrug transporter studies may provide insight into new approaches for combating the global threat of bacterial strains resistant to current antibiotics. This should come as welcome news to the World Health Organization which estimates the current total cost of treating all hospital-borne antibiotic resistant bacterial infections at $10 billion a year.

To learn more about this research see the full technical highlight at:
http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/research/highlights_archive/EmrE.html

O. Pornillos, Y.-J. Chen, A. P. Chen and G. Chang, "X-ray Structure of the EmrE Multidrug Transporter in Complex with a Substrate", Science 310, 1950 (2005)