Characterization of the role of polar amino acid residues within predicted transmembrane helix 17 in determining the substrate specificity of multidrug resistance protein 3.

Human multidrug resistance protein (MRP) 3 is the most closely related homologue of MRP1. Like MRP1, MRP3 confers resistance to etoposide (VP-16) and actively transports 17 beta-estradiol 17-(beta-D-glucuronide) (E(2)17 beta G), cysteinyl leukotriene 4 (LTC(4)), and methotrexate, although with generally lower affinity. Unlike MRP1, MRP3 also transports monovalent bile salts. We have previously demonstrated that hydrogen-bonding residues predicted to be in the inner-leaflet spanning segment of transmembrane (TM) 17 of MRP1 are important for drug resistance and E(2)17 beta G transport. We have now examined the importance of the hydrogen-bonding potential of residues in TM17 of MRP3 on both substrate specificity and overall activity. Mutation S1229A reduced only methotrexate transport. Mutations S1231A and N1241A decreased resistance to VP-16 and transport of E(2)17 beta G and methotrexate but not taurocholate. Mutation Q1235A also reduced resistance to VP-16 and transport of E(2)17beta G but increased taurocholate transport without affecting transport of methotrexate. Mutations Y1232F and S1233A reduced resistance to VP-16 and the transport of all three substrates tested. In contrast, mutation T1237A markedly increased VP-16 resistance and transport of all substrates. On the basis of the substrates analyzed, residues Ser(1229), Ser(1231), Gln(1235), and Asn(1241) play an important role in determining the specificity of MRP3, while mutation of Tyr(1232), Ser(1233), and Thr(1237) affects overall activity. Unlike MRP1, the involvement of polar residues in determining substrate specificity extends throughout the TM helix. Furthermore, elimination of the hydrogen-bonding potential of a single amino acid, Thr(1237), markedly enhanced the ability of the protein to confer drug resistance and to transport all substrates examined.

Cloning and Characterization of the Murine and Rat mrp1 Promoter Regions.

The ATP-binding cassette transporter multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) confers resistance to a number of clinically important chemotherapeutic agents. The proximal promoter region of MRP1 is GC-rich and contains binding sites for members of the Sp1 family of trans-acting factors that seem to be important for basal expression. As an approach to searching for other elements that may contribute to expression, we have sequenced and functionally compared the promoters of the murine and rat mrp1 genes with that of the human gene. All three promoters are GC-rich, TATA-less, and CAAT-less. Conservation of sequence between rodent and human promoters is limited to a proximal region of 100 nucleotides containing binding sites for members of the Sp1 family and a putative activator protein-1 element. The 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of human MRP1 contains an insertion of approximately 160 nucleotides comprising a GCC-triplet repeat and a GC-rich tandem repeat that is absent from the rodent sequences. Transient transfection analyses demonstrated that the conserved GC-boxes of all three genes are the major determinants of basal activity. Based on electrophoretic mobility shift assays, each GC-box can be bound by Sp1 or Sp3. Unlike the rodent genes, the human MRP1 5'UTR also binds Sp1 but not Sp3, and the human promoter retains substantial activity even in the absence of the conserved GC-boxes. Finally, we show that the tumor suppressor protein p53 can repress the human and rodent promoters by a mechanism that is independent of the Sp1 elements.