A mechanotransduction mechanism for antibiotic defense in Gram-positive bacteria.

In this issue of Structure, Yu et al.1 show that the Bacillus subtilis ytr operon encodes two distinct ABC transporters. The authors present the cryo-EM structures of YtrEF in the apo and ADP-vanadate-bound states. This work establishes YtrEF as a type VII mechanotransducing transporter whose activity remodels the Gram-positive envelope and alters multicellular colony behavior.