Bacterial enzymes and electron transport chain components

Bacterial enzymes and electron transport chain (ETC) components are essential for the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the maintenance of the proton motive force required for bacterial survival and growth (Cook et al., 2014). These components, located in the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, include a variety of dehydrogenases, quinones, and terminal oxidases that facilitate the transfer of electrons to oxygen or other terminal acceptors (Hurdle et al., 2011). Because bacterial ETC components often differ significantly from human mitochondrial respiratory chain proteins in structure and composition, they represent highly selective targets for antimicrobial therapy (Bald et al., 2017). For example, the diarylquinoline drug bedaquiline specifically inhibits the mycobacterial ATP synthase, leading to energy depletion and cell death in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Andries et al., 2005). Other agents, such as telacebec (Q203), target the cytochrome bcc complex, further validating the respiratory chain as a critical site for drug intervention in treating multi-drug resistant infections (Pethe et al., 2013). This target class is particularly important in the context of metabolic persistence, where bacteria rely on efficient energy conservation to survive antibiotic stress.

Other names

Bacterial respiratory chainBacterial electron transport systemProkaryotic electron transport chainBacterial oxidative phosphorylation system

Inhibition of ATP synthase, inhibition of the cytochrome bcc complex (QcrB), disruption of the proton motive force, and modulation of NADH dehydrogenases to arrest cellular respiration and deplete energy reserves.