Shedding light on drug transport: structure and function of the P-glycoprotein multidrug transporter (ABCB1)This paper is one of a selection of papers published in this Special Issue, entitled CSBMCB — Membrane Proteins in Health and Disease.

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 979-992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances J. Sharom

P-glycoprotein (Pgp; ABCB1), a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily, exports structurally diverse hydrophobic compounds from the cell, driven by ATP hydrolysis. Pgp expression has been linked to the efflux of chemotherapeutic drugs in human cancers, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). The protein also plays an important physiological role in limiting drug uptake in the gut and entry into the brain. Substrates partition into the lipid bilayer before interacting with Pgp, which has been proposed to function as a hydrophobic vacuum cleaner. Low- and medium-resolution structural models of Pgp suggest that the 2 nucleotide-binding domains are closely associated to form a nucleotide sandwich dimer. Pgp is an outwardly directed flippase for fluorescent phospholipid and glycosphingolipid derivatives, which suggests that it may also translocate drug molecules from the inner to the outer membrane leaflet. The ATPase catalytic cycle of the protein is thought to proceed via an alternating site mechanism, although the details are not understood. The lipid bilayer plays an important role in Pgp function, and may regulate both the binding and transport of drugs. This review focuses on the structure and function of Pgp, and highlights the importance of fluorescence spectroscopic techniques in exploring the molecular details of this enigmatic transporter.

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (47) ◽  
pp. 29609-29617
Author(s):  
Andaleeb Sajid ◽  
Sabrina Lusvarghi ◽  
Megumi Murakami ◽  
Eduardo E. Chufan ◽  
Biebele Abel ◽  
...  

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), also known as ABCB1, is a cell membrane transporter that mediates the efflux of chemically dissimilar amphipathic drugs and confers resistance to chemotherapy in most cancers. Homologous transmembrane helices (TMHs) 6 and 12 of human P-gp connect the transmembrane domains with its nucleotide-binding domains, and several residues in these TMHs contribute to the drug-binding pocket. To investigate the role of these helices in the transport function of P-gp, we substituted a group of 14 conserved residues (seven in both TMHs 6 and 12) with alanine and generated a mutant termed 14A. Although the 14A mutant lost the ability to pump most of the substrates tested out of cancer cells, surprisingly, it acquired a new function. It was able to import four substrates, including rhodamine 123 (Rh123) and the taxol derivative flutax-1. Similar to the efflux function of wild-type P-gp, we found that uptake by the 14A mutant is ATP hydrolysis-, substrate concentration-, and time-dependent. Consistent with the uptake function, the mutant P-gp also hypersensitizes HeLa cells to Rh123 by 2- to 2.5-fold. Further mutagenesis identified residues from both TMHs 6 and 12 that synergistically form a switch in the central region of the two helices that governs whether a given substrate is pumped out of or into the cell. Transforming P-gp or an ABC drug exporter from an efflux transporter into a drug uptake pump would constitute a paradigm shift in efforts to overcome cancer drug resistance.


2011 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 161-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances J. Sharom

Pgp (P-glycoprotein) (ABCB1) is an ATP-powered efflux pump which can transport hundreds of structurally unrelated hydrophobic amphipathic compounds, including therapeutic drugs, peptides and lipid-like compounds. This 170 kDa polypeptide plays a crucial physiological role in protecting tissues from toxic xenobiotics and endogenous metabolites, and also affects the uptake and distribution of many clinically important drugs. It forms a major component of the blood–brain barrier and restricts the uptake of drugs from the intestine. The protein is also expressed in many human cancers, where it probably contributes to resistance to chemotherapy treatment. Many chemical modulators have been identified that block the action of Pgp, and may have clinical applications in improving drug delivery and treating cancer. Pgp substrates are generally lipid-soluble, and partition into the membrane before the transporter expels them into the aqueous phase, much like a ‘hydrophobic vacuum cleaner’. The transporter may also act as a ‘flippase’, moving its substrates from the inner to the outer membrane leaflet. An X-ray crystal structure shows that drugs interact with Pgp within the transmembrane regions by fitting into a large flexible binding pocket, which can accommodate several substrate molecules simultaneously. The nucleotide-binding domains of Pgp appear to hydrolyse ATP in an alternating manner; however, it is still not clear whether transport is driven by ATP hydrolysis or ATP binding. Details of the steps involved in the drug-transport process, and how it is coupled to ATP hydrolysis, remain the object of intensive study.


1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. S23-S45 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID N. SHEPPARD ◽  
MICHAEL J. WELSH

Sheppard, David N., and Michael J. Welsh. Structure and Function of the CFTR Chloride Channel. Physiol. Rev. 79 , Suppl.: S23–S45, 1999. — The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a unique member of the ABC transporter family that forms a novel Cl− channel. It is located predominantly in the apical membrane of epithelia where it mediates transepithelial salt and liquid movement. Dysfunction of CFTR causes the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. The CFTR is composed of five domains: two membrane-spanning domains (MSDs), two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs), and a regulatory (R) domain. Here we review the structure and function of this unique channel, with a focus on how the various domains contribute to channel function. The MSDs form the channel pore, phosphorylation of the R domain determines channel activity, and ATP hydrolysis by the NBDs controls channel gating. Current knowledge of CFTR structure and function may help us understand better its mechanism of action, its role in electrolyte transport, its dysfunction in cystic fibrosis, and its relationship to other ABC transporters.


2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (24) ◽  
pp. 3737-3750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Lusvarghi ◽  
Suresh V. Ambudkar

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an ATP-binding cassette transporter associated with multidrug resistance in cancer cells, is capable of effluxing a number of xenobiotics as well as anticancer drugs. The transport of molecules through the transmembrane (TM) region of P-gp involves orchestrated conformational changes between inward-open and inward-closed forms, the details of which are still being worked out. Here, we assessed how the binding of transport substrates or modulators in the TM region and the binding of ATP to the nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) affect the thermostability of P-gp in a membrane environment. P-gp stability after exposure at high temperatures (37–80°C) was assessed by measuring ATPase activity and loss of monomeric P-gp. Our results show that P-gp is significantly thermostabilized (>22°C higher IT50) by the binding of ATP under non-hydrolyzing conditions (in the absence of Mg2+). By using an ATP-binding-deficient mutant (Y401A) and a hydrolysis-deficient mutant (E556Q/E1201Q), we show that thermostabilization of P-gp requires binding of ATP to both NBDs and their dimerization. Additionally, we found that transport substrates do not affect the thermal stability of P-gp either in the absence or presence of ATP; in contrast, inhibitors of P-gp including tariquidar and zosuquidar prevent ATP-dependent thermostabilization in a concentration-dependent manner, by stabilizing the inward-open conformation. Altogether, our data suggest that modulators, which bind in the TM regions, inhibit ATP hydrolysis and drug transport by preventing the ATP-dependent dimerization of the NBDs of P-gp.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (15) ◽  
pp. 5002-5011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryota Futamata ◽  
Fumihiko Ogasawara ◽  
Takafumi Ichikawa ◽  
Atsushi Kodan ◽  
Yasuhisa Kimura ◽  
...  

P-glycoprotein (P-gp; also known as MDR1 or ABCB1) is an ATP-driven multidrug transporter that extrudes various hydrophobic toxic compounds to the extracellular space. P-gp consists of two transmembrane domains (TMDs) that form the substrate translocation pathway and two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) that bind and hydrolyze ATP. At least two P-gp states are required for transport. In the inward-facing (pre-drug transport) conformation, the two NBDs are separated, and the two TMDs are open to the intracellular side; in the outward-facing (post-drug transport) conformation, the NBDs are dimerized, and the TMDs are slightly open to the extracellular side. ATP binding and hydrolysis cause conformational changes between the inward-facing and the outward-facing conformations, and these changes help translocate substrates across the membrane. However, how ATP hydrolysis is coupled to these conformational changes remains unclear. In this study, we used a new FRET sensor that detects conformational changes in P-gp to investigate the role of ATP binding and hydrolysis during the conformational changes of human P-gp in living HEK293 cells. We show that ATP binding causes the conformational change to the outward-facing state and that ATP hydrolysis and subsequent release of γ-phosphate from both NBDs allow the outward-facing state to return to the original inward-facing state. The findings of our study underscore the utility of using FRET analysis in living cells to elucidate the function of membrane proteins such as multidrug transporters.


2017 ◽  
Vol 292 (50) ◽  
pp. 20412-20424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria E. Zoghbi ◽  
Leo Mok ◽  
Douglas J. Swartz ◽  
Anukriti Singh ◽  
Gregory A. Fendley ◽  
...  

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 834
Author(s):  
Anima M. Schäfer ◽  
Henriette E. Meyer zu Schwabedissen ◽  
Markus Grube

The central nervous system (CNS) is an important pharmacological target, but it is very effectively protected by the blood–brain barrier (BBB), thereby impairing the efficacy of many potential active compounds as they are unable to cross this barrier. Among others, membranous efflux transporters like P-Glycoprotein are involved in the integrity of this barrier. In addition to these, however, uptake transporters have also been found to selectively uptake certain compounds into the CNS. These transporters are localized in the BBB as well as in neurons or in the choroid plexus. Among them, from a pharmacological point of view, representatives of the organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) are of particular interest, as they mediate the cellular entry of a variety of different pharmaceutical compounds. Thus, OATPs in the BBB potentially offer the possibility of CNS targeting approaches. For these purposes, a profound understanding of the expression and localization of these transporters is crucial. This review therefore summarizes the current state of knowledge of the expression and localization of OATPs in the CNS, gives an overview of their possible physiological role, and outlines their possible pharmacological relevance using selected examples.


Life Sciences ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 28 (13) ◽  
pp. 1425-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Bettger ◽  
Boyd L. O'Dell

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