|Contact: Dan Krotz, 510-486-4019, email@example.com| BERKELEY,
CA — In the race to stay one step ahead of drug-resistant
bacteria, scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
and the University of California at Berkeley obtained high-
resolution images of a protein complex found in bacteria that
repels a wide range The team focused their inquiry on AcrB, a
protein that resides in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli
cells. It works in unison with two other proteins to rid the
bacteria of toxins. Based on earlier research, they knew AcrB
boasts a large cavity capable of binding with a vast range of
antibiotics and other molecules. But precisely how this cavity
accommodates so many shapes and sizes remained unclear. To
witness this trickery, the team crystallized the protein in the
presence of four molecules — an antibiotic, a dye, a
disinfectant, and a DNA binding molecule — and then turned to
Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS). There, they exposed
the crystals to extremely bright x-rays th