Figure 5.
Close-up of the interactions formed during the MexA-dependent opening of the OprM periplasmic aperture. A series of interactions between the α-hairpins of OprM and MexA were formed during the simulation, which are highlighted here for a single OprM protomer (red ribbons). Within these interactions, we present the ones stabilized by specific hydrogen bonds. Thus, two hydrogen bonds are observed with MexA protomer 1 (purple ribbon), one hydrogen bond with MexA protomer 2 (yellow ribbons) and three hydrogen bonds with MexA protomer 3 (green ribbons). Water molecules were removed here for a clearer depiction.