Worldwide, resistance to antibiotics is on the rise. In order to understand why bacteria are becoming immune to previously well-functioning drugs, scientists are penetrating ever deeper into the molecular structure of cells. A research group at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) has now succeeded in isolating a membrane protein from the E. coli bacterium and shed light on its molecular structure. Armed with this information, they have been able to show how the bacterium manages to rid itself of the antibiotic by forcing out the drug. The paper has been published in Nature Communications.