Multidrug efflux pumps: substrate selection in ATP-binding cassette multidrug efflux pumps--first come, first served?

FEBS J. 2010 Feb;277(3):540-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2009.07485.x. Epub 2009 Dec 3.

Abstract

Multidrug resistance is a major challenge in the therapy of cancer and pathogenic fungal infections. More than three decades ago, P-glycoprotein was the first identified multidrug transporter. It has been studied extensively at the genetic and biochemical levels ever since. Pdr5, the most abundant ATP-binding cassette transporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is highly homologous to azole-resistance-mediating multidrug transporters in fungal pathogens, and a focus of clinical drug resistance research. Despite functional equivalences, P-glycoprotein and Pdr5 exhibit striking differences in their architecture and mechanisms. In this minireview, we discuss the mechanisms of substrate selection and multidrug transport by comparing the fraternal twins P-glycoprotein and Pdr5. We propose that substrate selection in eukaryotic multidrug ATP-binding cassette transporters is not solely determined by structural features of the transmembrane domains but also by their dynamic behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / physiology
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / chemistry
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / metabolism
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / physiology*
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / metabolism
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple / genetics
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple / physiology
  • Kinetics
  • Models, Biological
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary / physiology
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / chemistry
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / physiology*

Substances

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1
  • ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
  • PDR5 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases