Mdr1b Gene Research Articles

Structural and functional analysis of the mouse mdr1b gene promoter

The overproduction of P-glycoprotein, an integral membrane protein thought to function as a drug efflux pump, is the hallmark of the multidrug resistance phenotype. In murine multidrug resistant J774.2 cell lines, distinct mdr genes, mdr1a and mdr1b, encode unique P-glycoprotein isoforms. To examine the transcriptional regulation of the mdr1b gene, its promoter was isolated and characterized. The transcription initiation site was mapped by primer extension, and the 5'-flanking region was sequenced. Several potential regulatory elements were identified in this region. A transient expression vector was constructed by fusion of 540 base pairs of 5'-flanking sequence and part of the first untranslated exon to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. When transfected into monkey kidney COS-1, rat pituitary GH3 or T47D human breast cells, the mdr1b 5'-flanking sequences were capable of driving CAT expression. Transient transfection studies using deletion subclones of the mdr1b-CAT construct were done to locate potential cis-acting sequences. The studies indicate the presence of cis-acting elements in the 5'-flanking region of the mdr1b gene. The implications of these findings for expression and regulation of the mdr1b gene are discussed.

Regulation of 2‐acetylaminofluorene‐and 3‐methylcholanthrene‐mediated induction of multidrug resistance and cytochrome P450IA gene family expression in primary hepatocyte cultures and rat liver

Previous studies by this laboratory have indicated that expression of the multidrug resistance (mdr) gene can be increased in vivo by exposure to a variety of xenobiotics. Because of the nature of these compounds, it was proposed that mdr gene expression might, at least in part, be regulated by the arylhydrocarbon (Ah) receptor. In the present study, we used a primary hepatocyte culture model to examine the relationship between induction of cytochrome P450IA and mdr expression in vitro. Both 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) and 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) were efficient inducers of mdr expression in this model. Induction of mdr gene expression by both MC and AAF obeyed a log10 concentration/response relationship. In contrast, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin did not induce mdr expression at concentrations that yielded maximum induction of cytochrome P450IA expression. These data suggest that mdr induction was not mediated via the Ah receptor. Nuclear run-off analysis indicated that both AAF and MC induced mdr expression by increasing transcription. Primer extension analysis indicated that mdr gene transcription was initiated at one major site 151 bp upstream of the ATG site in both the uninduced and induced state in vivo and in vitro. The sequence of the primer and the site of initiation of gene transcription indicate that the main gene induced was the mdr 1b gene.

Differential transport properties of two mdr gene products are distinguished by progesterone.

P-glycoprotein is an integral membrane protein that is overproduced in multidrug-resistant cells. It is likely to function as an energy-dependent drug efflux pump to maintain intracellular drug concentrations below cytotoxic levels. Individually isolated multidrug-resistant murine cell lines, J7.V1-1 and J7.V3-1, overproduce P-glycoproteins encoded by the mdr1b and mdr1a genes, respectively. The transport properties of these cell lines and the drug binding characteristics of their P-glycoproteins have been compared. It is concluded that 1) the mdr1a gene product is a more efficient efflux pump than the mdr1b gene product, and 2) whereas a single class of vinblastine binding sites is present in J7.V1-1 membrane vesicles, there appears to be two classes of such sites in J7.V3-1 membrane vesicles. The effects of verapamil and progesterone, two compounds that are known to interact with P-glycoprotein, have been analyzed in the two cell lines. Progesterone inhibited drug binding and efflux and increased drug sensitivity to vinblastine with more potency in J7.V1-1 cells than in J7.V3-1 cells. It is concluded that progesterone, but not verapamil, can be used to differentiate the two mdr gene products in the mouse.