title: Effects of phosphorylation of P-glycoprotein on multidrug resistance.
abstract: Cells expressing elevated levels of the membrane phosphoprotein P-glycoprotein exhibit a multidrug resistance phenotype. Studies involving protein kinase activators and inhibitors have implied that covalent modification of P-glycoprotein by phosphorylation may modulate its biological activity as a multidrug transporter. Most of these reagents, however, have additional mechanisms of action and may alter drug accumulation within multidrug resistant cells independent of, or in addition to, their effects on the state of phosphorylation of P-glycoprotein. The protein kinase(s) responsible for P-glycoprotein phosphorylation has(ve) not been unambiguously identified, although several possible candidates have been suggested. Recent biochemical analyses demonstrate that the major sites of phosphorylation are clustered within the linker region that connects the two homologous halves of P-glycoprotein. Mutational analyses have been initiated to confirm this finding. Preliminary data obtained from phosphorylation- and dephosphorylation-defective mutants suggest that phosphorylation of P-glycoprotein is not essential to confer multidrug resistance.
authors.affiliation: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: U A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Germann
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Ambudkar
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pastan
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gottesman
mesh_terms: D020168:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D006801:Humans; D008961:Models, Structural; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D020168:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases