Regulating inorganic phosphate transport and mediating bacterial resistance by PstS and PstB

Abstract:

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) plays an important role in the biological processes such as bacterial heredity, energy metabolism and intracellular signaling. Two major bacterial Pi import systems exist in bacteria, Pst and Pit. The Pst system is highly efficient at transporting Pi, particularly in cells growing under low-Pi concentrations. In recent years, studies have found that in addition to regulating metabolism and balance of Pi, Pst system also mediates drug resistance, toxicity and invasion of bacteria. The Pst system is a member of the ABC transporter family, generally consists of five distinct proteins of PstS, PstC, PstA, PstB and PhoU. Among them, PstS and PstB are key proteins in the Pst system. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms of Pi transport and bacterial resistance of PstS and PstB, and the relationship between Pst system and bacterial resistance as well as PstS/PstB-targeted development to manufacture new drug.