Multidrug and Toxic Compound Extrusion Transporters: Ubiquitous Multifaceted Proteins in Microbes, Plants, and Their Interactions

Abstract

In recent years, membrane transporters have attracted considerable interest regarding their involvement in the molecular dialogue occurring between microbes and their hosts. In particular, the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) transporters form a family of integral membrane proteins, mainly involved in the efflux of toxic and xenobiotic compounds. They are present in all living organisms, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, where they have a wide array of extremely different roles. In plants, MATE proteins are involved in many important physiological processes, such as plant development, as well as the active transport of several secondary metabolites. In microorganisms, they are mainly implicated in the efflux of toxic compounds and thus contribute to drug resistance. Conversely, information about the actual role of MATE transporters in the interaction between plants and microorganisms, including phytopathogens, is still limited, according to the number of publications available on this topic. Indeed, an understanding of their roles in the plant-pathogen interaction could be essential to increase the knowledge of their molecular conversation and to provide data for the design and development of innovative and sustainable anti-infective strategies to control and manage plant pathogens.

Keywords: MATE transporters; antibiotic resistance; efflux pumps; electrochemical gradient; infective diseases; plant–pathogen interaction; structural biology.

Figure 1

The number of publications per year reported in Scopus from 1998 to 2024, found by typing the keywords “MATE transporter” in Title or Abstract. (Data retrieved from Scopus in June 2024).

Figure 2

The number of papers on MATE transporters reported for different organisms from 1998 to 2024. (Data retrieved from Scopus in June 2024).

Figure 3

Percentage of scientific papers on the different roles of plant MATE transporters, published in peer-reviewed international journals from 1998 to 2022. The section “Others” includes single reporters on unknown and known functions (e.g., transport of CO₂ and efflux of biological nitrification inhibitors) and general reviews on plant MATE transporters. (Data retrieved from Scopus in June 2024).