The extreme C terminus of the ABC protein DrrA contains unique motifs involved in function and assembly of the DrrAB complex.

Two novel regulatory motifs, LDEVFL and C-terminal regulatory Glu (E)-rich motif (CREEM), are identified in the extreme C terminus of the ABC protein DrrA, which is involved in direct interaction with the N-terminal cytoplasmic tail of the membrane protein DrrB and in homodimerization of DrrA. Disulfide cross-linking analysis showed that the CREEM and the region immediately upstream of CREEM participate directly in forming an interaction interface with the N terminus of DrrB. A series of mutations created in the LDEVFL and CREEM motifs drastically affected overall function of the DrrAB transporter. Mutations in the LDEVFL motif also significantly impaired interaction between the C terminus of DrrA and the N terminus of DrrB as well as the ability of DrrA and DrrB to co-purify, therefore suggesting that the LDEVFL motif regulates CREEM-mediated interaction between DrrA and DrrB and plays a key role in biogenesis of the DrrAB complex. Modeling analysis indicated that the LDEVFL motif is critical for conformational integrity of the C-terminal domain of DrrA and confirmed that the C terminus of DrrA forms an independent domain. This is the first report which describes the presence of an assembly domain in an ABC protein and uncovers a novel mechanism whereby the ABC component facilitates the assembly of the membrane component. Homology sequence comparisons showed the presence of the LDEVFL and CREEM motifs in close prokaryotic and eukaryotic homologs of DrrA, suggesting that these motifs may play a similar role in other homologous drug and lipid export systems.