The K+ uptake regulator TrkA controls membrane potential, pH homeostasis and multidrug susceptibility in Mycobacterium smegmatis

BackgroundRifampicin is an important first-line antibiotic for the treatment of mycobacterial infections. Although most rifampicin-resistant strains arise through mutations in the rpoB gene in bacteria, a proportion of such strains show no rpoB mutations. This suggests that alternative mechanisms are responsible for rifampicin resistance.