ATP-binding cassette transporter in Clonostachys rosea (ABC transporter)

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in the mycoparasitic fungus Clonostachys rosea are essential membrane proteins that facilitate the efflux of various toxic compounds, thereby providing self-protection against exogenous and endogenous toxins (Dubey et al., 2014). These transporters, particularly members of the ABCG (pleiotropic drug resistance) and ABCB (multidrug resistance) subfamilies, are critical for the fungus's ability to tolerate mycotoxins like zearalenone produced by its prey, such as Fusarium species (Karlsson et al., 2015). Furthermore, they play a significant role in resistance to synthetic fungicides, which is a vital trait for the use of C. rosea as a biological control agent in integrated pest management (Nygren et al., 2018). The transporters function by using the energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to pump substrates across the plasma membrane, maintaining low intracellular concentrations of harmful substances. While these proteins are not targets for human clinical medicine, they are primary targets for genetic engineering and selection to improve the efficacy and environmental fitness of fungal biopesticides. Understanding the substrate specificity and regulation of these transporters is key to optimizing the biocontrol potential of C. rosea against plant pathogens (Demissie et al., 2020).

Other names

ABC efflux pumpPDR-type ABC transporterMultidrug resistance proteinXenobiotic transporter

ATP-dependent primary active transport (efflux) of xenobiotics and secondary metabolites from the cytoplasm to the extracellular environment.