Structural highlights
Disease
MDR1_HUMAN Ulcerative colitis. Disease susceptibility is associated with variations affecting the gene represented in this entry.
Function
MDR1_HUMAN Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is an important human multidrug transporter that contributes to pharmacokinetics and multidrug resistance. Despite decades of study, the conformation transition cycle of Pgp undergoing active drug transport is not defined, thus the precise relevance of all available Pgp structures to uninterrupted multidrug transport remains unclear. Here, we use cryo-EM of membrane-embedded human Pgp under continuous turnover conditions to analyze the conformational ensembles of Pgp transporting distinct substrates. These results delineate multiple conformations including inward-facing and closed conformations, highlighting the occluded conformation as a critical intermediate state between transporter closure and substrate release. A combination of structural, functional, and computational studies reveals the transmembrane helices 4 and 10 undergoing drastic rearrangement to coordinate substrate binding, occlusion, and release, and identifies a peripheral site involved in substrate capture and Pgp inhibition. Together, our results provide a set of snapshots of Pgp undergoing continuous drug transport, unveiling the intricate interplay between transporter dynamics and drug movement, and shed light on the mechanism of polyspecificity.
, PMID:40240353[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Culbertson AT, Liao M. Cryo-EM of human P-glycoprotein reveals an intermediate occluded conformation during active drug transport. Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 16;16(1):3619. PMID:40240353 doi:10.1038/s41467-025-58561-4