ATP-binding Cassette Exporters: Structure and Mechanism with a Focus on P-glycoprotein and MRP1

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1062-1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maite Rocío Arana ◽  
Guillermo Alejandro Altenberg

Background:Proteins that belong to the ATP-binding cassette superfamily include transporters that mediate the efflux of substrates from cells. Among these exporters, P-glycoprotein and MRP1 are involved in cancer multidrug resistance, protection from endo and xenobiotics, determination of drug pharmacokinetics, and the pathophysiology of a variety of disorders. Objective:To review the information available on ATP-binding cassette exporters, with a focus on Pglycoprotein, MRP1 and related proteins. We describe tissue localization and function of these transporters in health and disease, and discuss the mechanisms of substrate transport. We also correlate recent structural information with the function of the exporters, and discuss details of their molecular mechanism with a focus on the nucleotide-binding domains. Methods: Evaluation of selected publications on the structure and function of ATP-binding cassette proteins. Conclusions:Conformational changes on the nucleotide-binding domains side of the exporters switch the accessibility of the substrate-binding pocket between the inside and outside, which is coupled to substrate efflux. However, there is no agreement on the magnitude and nature of the changes at the nucleotide- binding domains side that drive the alternate-accessibility. Comparison of the structures of Pglycoprotein and MRP1 helps explain differences in substrate selectivity and the bases for polyspecificity. P-glycoprotein substrates are hydrophobic and/or weak bases, and polyspecificity is explained by a flexible hydrophobic multi-binding site that has a few acidic patches. MRP1 substrates are mostly organic acids, and its polyspecificity is due to a single bipartite binding site that is flexible and displays positive charge.

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 923
Author(s):  
Alessandro Barbieri ◽  
Nopnithi Thonghin ◽  
Talha Shafi ◽  
Stephen M. Prince ◽  
Richard F. Collins ◽  
...  

ABCB1/P-glycoprotein is an ATP binding cassette transporter that is involved in the clearance of xenobiotics, and it affects the disposition of many drugs in the body. Conformational flexibility of the protein within the membrane is an intrinsic part of its mechanism of action, but this has made structural studies challenging. Here, we have studied different conformations of P-glycoprotein simultaneously in the presence of ivacaftor, a known competitive inhibitor. In order to conduct this, we used high contrast cryo-electron microscopy imaging with a Volta phase plate. We associate the presence of ivacaftor with the appearance of an additional density in one of the conformational states detected. The additional density is in the central aqueous cavity and is associated with a wider separation of the two halves of the transporter in the inward-facing state. Conformational changes to the nucleotide-binding domains are also observed and may help to explain the stimulation of ATPase activity that occurs when transported substrate is bound in many ATP binding cassette transporters.


2008 ◽  
Vol 416 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luba Aleksandrov ◽  
Andrei Aleksandrov ◽  
John R. Riordan

ATP binding to the first and second NBDs (nucleotide-binding domains) of CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) are bivalent-cation-independent and -dependent steps respectively [Aleksandrov, Aleksandrov, Chang and Riordan (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 15419–15425]. Subsequent to the initial binding, Mg2+ drives rapid hydrolysis at the second site, while promoting non-exchangeable trapping of the nucleotide at the first site. This occlusion at the first site of functional wild-type CFTR is somewhat similar to that which occurs when the catalytic glutamate residues in both of the hydrolytic sites of P-glycoprotein are mutated, which has been proposed to be the result of dimerization of the two NBDs and represents a transient intermediate formed during ATP hydrolysis [Tombline and Senior (2005) J. Bioenerg. Biomembr. 37, 497–500]. To test the possible relevance of this interpretation to CFTR, we have now characterized the process by which NBD1 occludes [32P]N3ATP (8-azido-ATP) and [32P]N3ADP (8-azido-ADP). Only N3ATP, but not N3ADP, can be bound initially at NBD1 in the absence of Mg2+. Despite the lack of a requirement for Mg2+ for ATP binding, retention of the NTP at 37 °C was dependent on the cation. However, at reduced temperature (4 °C), N3ATP remains locked in the binding pocket with virtually no reduction over a 1 h period, even in the absence of Mg2+. Occlusion occurred identically in a ΔNBD2 construct, but not in purified recombinant NBD1, indicating that the process is dependent on the influence of regions of CFTR in addition to NBD1, but not NBD2.


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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Heuveling ◽  
Heidi Landmesser ◽  
Erwin Schneider

ABSTRACT ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport systems comprise two transmembrane domains/subunits that form a translocation path and two nucleotide-binding domains/subunits that bind and hydrolyze ATP. Prokaryotic canonical ABC import systems require an extracellular substrate-binding protein for function. Knowledge of substrate-binding sites within the transmembrane subunits is scarce. Recent crystal structures of the ABC importer Art(QN) 2 for positively charged amino acids of Thermoanerobacter tengcongensis revealed the presence of one substrate molecule in a defined binding pocket in each of the transmembrane subunits, ArtQ (J. Yu, J. Ge, J. Heuveling, E. Schneider, and M. Yang, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:5243–5248, 2015, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1415037112 ). This finding raised the question of whether both sites must be loaded with substrate prior to initiation of the transport cycle. To address this matter, we first explored the role of key residues that form the binding pocket in the closely related Art(MP) 2 transporter of Geobacillus stearothermophilus , by monitoring consequences of mutations in ArtM on ATPase and transport activity at the level of purified proteins embedded in liposomes. Our results emphasize that two negatively charged residues (E153 and D160) are crucial for wild-type function. Furthermore, the variant Art[M(L67D)P] 2 exhibited strongly impaired activities, which is why it was considered for construction of a hybrid complex containing one intact and one impaired substrate-binding site. Activity assays clearly revealed that one intact binding site was sufficient for function. To our knowledge, our study provides the first biochemical evidence on transmembrane substrate-binding sites of an ABC importer. IMPORTANCE Canonical prokaryotic ATP-binding cassette importers mediate the uptake of a large variety of chemicals, including nutrients, osmoprotectants, growth factors, and trace elements. Some also play a role in bacterial pathogenesis, which is why full understanding of their mode of action is of the utmost importance. One of the unsolved problems refers to the chemical nature and number of substrate binding sites formed by the transmembrane subunits. Here, we report that a hybrid amino acid transporter of G. stearothermophilus , encompassing one intact and one impaired transmembrane binding site, is fully competent in transport, suggesting that the binding of one substrate molecule is sufficient to trigger the translocation process.


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.


2013 ◽  
Vol 288 (29) ◽  
pp. 20785-20796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca S. Cooper ◽  
Guillermo A. Altenberg

In ATP-binding cassette proteins, the two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) work as dimers to bind and hydrolyze ATP, but the molecular mechanism of nucleotide hydrolysis is controversial. It is still unresolved whether hydrolysis leads to dissociation of the ATP-induced dimers or partial opening of the dimers such that the NBDs remain in contact during the hydrolysis cycle. We studied the bacterial lipid flippase MsbA by luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET). The LRET signal between optical probes reacted with single-cysteine mutants was employed to follow NBD association/dissociation in real time. The intermonomer distances calculated from LRET data indicate that the NBDs separate completely following ATP hydrolysis, even in the presence of mm MgATP, and that the dissociation occurs following each hydrolysis cycle. The results support association/dissociation, as opposed to constant contact models, for the mode of operation of ATP-binding cassette proteins.


2016 ◽  
Vol 480 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Fendley ◽  
Ina L. Urbatsch ◽  
Roger B. Sutton ◽  
Maria E. Zoghbi ◽  
Guillermo A. Altenberg

Physiology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 191-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo A. Altenberg

Proteins that belong to the ATP-binding cassette superfamily span from bacteria to humans and comprise one of the largest protein families. These proteins are characterized by the presence of two nucleotide-binding domains, and recent studies suggest that association and dissociation of these domains is a common basic molecular mechanism of operation that couples ATP binding/hydrolysis to substrate transport across membranes.


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