An H⁺-Coupled Multidrug Efflux Pump, PmpM, a Member of the MATE Family of Transporters, from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

We cloned the gene PA1361 (we designated the gene pmpM), which seemed to encode a multidrug efflux pump belonging to the MATE family, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the PCR method using the drug-hypersensitive Escherichia coli KAM32 strain as a host. Cells of E. coli possessing the pmpM gene showed elevated resistance to several antimicrobial agents. We observed energy-dependent efflux of ethidium from cells possessing the pmpM gene. We found that PmpM is an H⁺-drug antiporter, and this finding is the first reported case of an H⁺-coupled efflux pump in the MATE family. Disruption and reintroduction of the pmpM gene in P. aeruginosa revealed that PmpM is functional and that benzalkonium chloride, fluoroquinolones, ethidium bromide, acriflavine, and tetraphenylphosphonium chloride are substrates for PmpM in this microorganism.