Structural and functional insights of AmpG in muropeptide transport and multiple β-lactam antibiotics resistance

Anhydromuropeptide permease (AmpG) is a transporter protein located in the inner membrane of certain gram -negative bacteria, involved in peptidoglycan (PG) recycling and β-lactamase induction. Decreased AmpG function reduces resistance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to β-lactam antibiotics. Therefore, AmpG-targeting inhibitors are promising ‘antibiotic adjuvants’. However, as the tertiary structure of AmpG has not yet been identified, the development of targeted inhibitors remains challenging. We present four cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures: the apo-inward and apo-outward state structures and the inward-occluded and outward states complexed with the substrate GlcNAc-1,6-anhMurNAc. Through functional analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we identified motif A, which stabilizes the outward state, substrate-binding pocket, and protonation-related residues. Based on the structure of AmpG and our experimental results, we propose a muropeptide transport mechanism for AmpG. A deeper understanding of its structure and transport mechanism provides a foundation for the development of antibiotic adjuvants.