Identification of a Spermidine Excretion Protein Complex (MdtJI) in Escherichia coli

Abstract

ABSTRACT A spermidine excretion protein in Escherichia coli was looked for among 33 putative drug exporters thus far identified. Cell toxicity and inhibition of growth due to overaccumulation of spermidine were examined in an E. coli strain deficient in spermidine acetyltransferase, an enzyme that metabolizes spermidine. Toxicity and inhibition of cell growth by spermidine were recovered in cells transformed with pUC mdtJI or pMW mdtJI , encoding MdtJ and MdtI, which belong to the small multidrug resistance family of drug exporters. Both mdtJ and mdtI are necessary for recovery from the toxicity of overaccumulated spermidine. It was also found that the level of mdtJI mRNA was increased by spermidine. The spermidine content in cells cultured in the presence of 2 mM spermidine was decreased, and excretion of spermidine from cells was enhanced by MdtJI, indicating that the MdtJI complex can catalyze excretion of spermidine from cells. It was found that Tyr 4 , Trp 5 , Glu 15 , Tyr 45 , Tyr 61 , and Glu 82 in MdtJ and Glu 5 , Glu 19 , Asp 60 , Trp 68 , and Trp 81 in MdtI are involved in the excretion activity of MdtJI.