About P‐glycoprotein: a new drugable domain is emerging from structural data

Abstract

P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) has been considered an important molecular target in the reversal of multidrug resistance (MDR). As such, the development of P‐gp modulators able to restore drug sensitivity in resistant cells is still considered one of the most promising strategies for overcoming MDR. Since the identification of the P‐gp's role in MDR, several studies have been performed in order to develop effective P‐gp modulators and understand the efflux mechanism. However, no efflux modulator is still clinically available for treating multidrug‐resistant cancers. Nevertheless, recent experimental studies suggest that MDR can be surpassed by targeting a specific region within the ABC transporter structure rather than the polyspecific drug‐binding pocket. This article will focus on the information available about this new target region and on a brief overview of which scaffolds would be suitable for modulating P‐gp at this new location. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2017, 7:e1316. doi: 10.1002/wcms.1316This article is categorized under: Structure and Mechanism > Computational Biochemistry and Biophysics