ABC (ATP-Binding Cassette) transporters – A Bacterial study

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers have shown how some specialised protein molecules found on the membranes of all biological cells carry carbohydrate molecules into cells from outside. The results of this study have been published in The FEBS Journal.
They have studied specific protein molecules called ABC (ATP-Binding Cassette) transporters, present in bacterial cell membranes and have shown that these transporters are selective about the type of carbohydrates they transport into cells.
These special forms of proteins present in the cell membranes of almost all living cells capture the carbohydrates from outside the cell and deliver them into the cells.
Defective transport of carbohydrates into cells is associated with a range of disorders, including cystic fibrosis, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes.
Understanding the mechanism of carbohydrate transfer by the ABC transporters would enable a better understanding of the causes and effects of many of these disorders.