Dr. Manish Dwivedi, PhD

Na+ and H+ are extremely important component of the cells and their specific concentrations are crucial for cells’ survival. Each cell has very efficient tool, Na+/H+ Transporters, to maintain these ions’ concentration. Na+/H+ antiporters are secondary transporters present in the cytoplasmic membrane of all living cells where they play critical roles; pH regulation, maintaining homeostasis of H+ and Na+ ions in the cytoplasm and as a result cell volume. Therefore, these antiporters have long been human’s drug targets. NhaA, the main Na+/H+ antiporter in Escherichia coli, has most extensively been studied and became a paradigm for this antiporter. Recently, a homologue of NhaA has been shown to be essential for ecology of the pathogens (e.g. Vibrio cholera) and for Yersinia pestis virulence that make them a novel drug targets.