P-glycoprotein substrate binding domains are located at the transmembrane domain/transmembrane domain interfaces: a combined photoaffinity labeling-protein homology modeling approach

Mol Pharmacol. 2005 Feb;67(2):365-74. doi: 10.1124/mol.104.006973. Epub 2004 Oct 27.

Abstract

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is an energy-dependent multidrug efflux pump conferring resistance to cancer chemotherapy. Characterization of the mechanism of drug transport at a molecular level represents an important prerequisite for the design of pump inhibitors, which resensitize cancer cells to standard chemotherapy. In addition, P-glycoprotein plays an important role for early absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity profiling in drug development. A set of propafenonetype substrate photoaffinity ligands has been used in this study in conjunction with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to define the substrate binding domain(s) of P-gp in more detail. The highest labeling was observed in transmembrane segments 3, 5, 8, and 11. A homology model for P-gp was generated on the basis of the dimeric crystal structure of Vibrio cholerae MsbA, an essential lipid transporter. Thereafter, the labeling pattern was projected onto the 3D atomic-detail model of P-gp to allow a visualization of the binding domain(s). Labeling is predicted by the model to occur at the two transmembrane domain/transmembrane domain interfaces formed between the amino- and carboxyl-terminal half of P-gp. These interfaces are formed by transmembrane (TM) segments 3 and 11 on one hand and TM segments 5 and 8 on the other hand. Available data on LmrA and AcrB, two bacterial multidrug efflux pumps, suggest that binding at domain interfaces may be a general feature of polyspecific drug efflux pumps.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / chemistry*
  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane / chemistry
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Insecta
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry*
  • Peptide Fragments / metabolism*
  • Photoaffinity Labels / chemistry
  • Photoaffinity Labels / metabolism*
  • Propafenone / chemistry
  • Propafenone / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Structural Homology, Protein*
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Photoaffinity Labels
  • Propafenone