Unshielding Multidrug Resistant Cancer through Selective Iron Depletion of P-Glycoprotein-Expressing Cells.

Clinical evidence shows that following initial response to treatment, drug-resistant cancer cells frequently evolve and, eventually, most tumors become resistant to all available therapies. We compiled a focused library consisting of >500 commercially available or newly synthetized 8-hydroxyquinoline (8OHQ) derivatives whose toxicity is paradoxically increased rather than decreased by the activity of P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a transporter conferring multidrug resistance (MDR). Here, we deciphered the mechanism of action of NSC297366 that shows exceptionally strong Pgp-potentiated toxicity. Treatment of cells with NSC297366 resulted in changes associated with the activity of potent anticancer iron chelators. Strikingly, iron depletion was more pronounced in MDR cells due to the Pgp-mediated efflux of NSC297366-iron complexes. Our results indicate that iron homeostasis can be targeted by MDR-selective compounds for the selective elimination of multidrug resistant cancer cells, setting the stage for a therapeutic approach to fight transporter-mediated drug resistance. SIGNIFICANCE: Modulation of the MDR phenotype has the potential to increase the efficacy of anticancer therapies. These findings show that the MDR transporter is a "double-edged sword" that can be turned against resistant cancer.

The human ABCB6 protein is the functional homologue of HMT-1 proteins mediating cadmium detoxification.

ABCB6 belongs to the family of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, which transport various molecules across extra- and intra-cellular membranes, bearing significant impact on human disease and pharmacology. Although mutations in the ABCB6 gene have been linked to a variety of pathophysiological conditions ranging from transfusion incompatibility to pigmentation defects, its precise cellular localization and function is not understood. In particular, the intracellular localization of ABCB6 has been a matter of debate, with conflicting reports suggesting mitochondrial or endolysosomal expression. ABCB6 shows significant sequence identity to HMT-1 (heavy metal tolerance factor 1) proteins, whose evolutionarily conserved role is to confer tolerance to heavy metals through the intracellular sequestration of metal complexes. Here, we show that the cadmium-sensitive phenotype of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Caenorhabditis elegans strains defective for HMT-1 is rescued by the human ABCB6 protein. Overexpression of ABCB6 conferred tolerance to cadmium and As(III) (As2O3), but not to As(V) (Na2HAsO4), Sb(V), Hg(II), or Zn(II). Inactivating mutations of ABCB6 abolished vacuolar sequestration of cadmium, effectively suppressing the cadmium tolerance phenotype. Modulation of ABCB6 expression levels in human glioblastoma cells resulted in a concomitant change in cadmium sensitivity. Our findings reveal ABCB6 as a functional homologue of the HMT-1 proteins, linking endolysosomal ABCB6 to the highly conserved mechanism of intracellular cadmium detoxification.

Functional expression of the 11 human Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptides in insect cells reveals that sodium fluorescein is a general OATP substrate.

Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptides (OATPs), encoded by genes of the Solute Carrier Organic Anion (SLCO) family, are transmembrane proteins involved in the uptake of various compounds of endogenous or exogenous origin. In addition to their physiological roles, OATPs influence the pharmacokinetics and drug-drug interactions of several clinically relevant compounds. To examine the function and molecular interactions of human OATPs, including several poorly characterized family members, we expressed all 11 human OATPs at high levels in the baculovirus-Sf9 cell system. We measured the temperature- and inhibitor-sensitive cellular accumulation of sodium fluorescein and fluorescein-methotrexate, two fluorescent substrates of the OATPs, OATP1B1 and 1B3. OATP1B1 and 1B3 were functional in Sf9 cells, showing rapid uptake (t1/2(fluorescein-methotrexate) 2.64 and 4.16 min, and t1/2(fluorescein) 6.71 and 5.58 min for OATP1B1 and 1B3, respectively) and high-affinity transport (Km(fluorescein-methotrexate) 0.23 and 0.53 µM, and Km(fluorescein) 25.73 and 38.55 µM for OATP1B1 and 1B3, respectively) of both substrates. We found that sodium fluorescein is a general substrate of all human OATPs: 1A2, 1B1, 1B3, 1C1, 2A1, 2B1, 3A1, 4A1, 4C1, 5A1 and 6A1, while fluorescein-methotrexate is only transported by 1B1, 1B3, 1A2 and 2B1. Acidic extracellular pH greatly facilitated fluorescein uptake by all OATPs, and new molecular interactions were detected (between OATP2B1 and Imatinib, OATP3A1, 5A1 and 6A1 and estradiol 17-ß-d-glucuronide, and OATP1C1 and 4C1 and prostaglandin E2). These studies demonstrate, for the first time, that the insect cell system is suitable for the functional analysis of the entire human OATP family, and for drug-OATP interaction screening.

Screening the expression of ABCB6 in erythrocytes reveals an unexpectedly high frequency of Lan mutations in healthy individuals.

Lan is a high-incidence blood group antigen expressed in more than 99.9% of the population. Identification of the human ABC transporter ABCB6 as the molecular basis of Lan has opened the way for studies assessing the relation of ABCB6 function and expression to health and disease. To date, 34 ABCB6 sequence variants have been described in association with reduced ABCB6 expression based on the genotyping of stored blood showing weak or no reactivity with anti-Lan antibodies. In the present study we examined the red blood cell (RBC) surface expression of ABCB6 by quantitative flow cytometry in a cohort of 47 healthy individuals. Sequencing of the entire coding region of the ABCB6 gene in low RBC ABCB6 expressors identified a new allele (IVS9+1G>A, affecting a putative splice site at the boundary of exon 9) and two nonsynonymous SNPs listed in the SNP database (R192Q (rs150221689) and G588 S (rs145526996)). The R192Q mutation showed co-segregation with reduced RBC ABCB6 expression in a family, and we found the G588 S mutation in a compound heterozygous individual with undetectable ABCB6 expression, suggesting that both mutations result in weak or no expression of ABCB6 on RBCs. Analysis of the intracellular expression pattern in HeLa cells by confocal microscopy indicated that these mutations do not compromise overall expression or the endolysosomal localization of ABCB6. Genotyping of two large cohorts, containing 235 and 1039 unrelated volunteers, confirmed the high allele frequency of Lan-mutations. Our results suggest that genetic variants linked to lower or absent cell surface expression of ABCB6/Langereis may be more common than previously thought.

Shifting the paradigm: the putative mitochondrial protein ABCB6 resides in the lysosomes of cells and in the plasma membrane of erythrocytes.

ABCB6, a member of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, has been proposed to be responsible for the mitochondrial uptake of porphyrins. Here we show that ABCB6 is a glycoprotein present in the membrane of mature erythrocytes and in exosomes released from reticulocytes during the final steps of erythroid maturation. Consistent with its presence in exosomes, endogenous ABCB6 is localized to the endo/lysosomal compartment, and is absent from the mitochondria of cells. Knock-down studies demonstrate that ABCB6 function is not required for de novo heme biosynthesis in differentiating K562 cells, excluding this ABC transporter as a key regulator of porphyrin synthesis. We confirm the mitochondrial localization of ABCB7, ABCB8 and ABCB10, suggesting that only three ABC transporters should be classified as mitochondrial proteins. Taken together, our results challenge the current paradigm linking the expression and function of ABCB6 to mitochondria.