Iodomycin and iodipine, a structural analogue of azidopine, bind to a common domain in hamster P-glycoprotein

Probing the Allosteric Modulation of P-Glycoprotein: A Medicinal Chemistry Approach Toward the Identification of Noncompetitive P-Gp Inhibitors

A medicinal chemistry approach combining in silico and in vitro methodologies was performed aiming at identifying and characterizing putative allosteric drug-binding sites (aDBSs) at the interface of the transmembrane- and nucleotide-binding domains (TMD-NBD) of P-glycoprotein. Two aDBSs were identified, one in TMD1/NBD1 and another one in TMD2/NBD2, by means of in silico fragment-based molecular dynamics and characterized in terms of size, polarity, and lining residues. From a small library of thioxanthone and flavanone derivatives, experimentally described to bind at the TMD-NBD interfaces, several compounds were identified to be able to decrease the verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity. An IC₅₀ of 81 ± 6.6 μM is reported for a flavanone derivative in the ATPase assays, providing evidence for an allosteric efflux modulation in P-glycoprotein. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics gave additional insights on the binding mode on how flavanone derivatives may act as allosteric inhibitors.

Lysine 268 adjacent to transmembrane helix 5 of hamster P-glycoprotein is the major photobinding site of iodomycin in CHO B30 cells

P‐glycoprotein (Pgp) detoxifies cells by exporting hundreds of chemically dissimilar hydrophobic and amphipathic compounds and is implicated in multidrug resistance (MDR) in the treatment of cancers. Photoaffinity labeling of plasma membrane vesicles of MDR CHO B30 cells with the anthracycline [¹²⁵I]‐iodomycin, subsequent sequential cleavage with BNPS‐skatol and endoproteinase Lys‐C, and the Edman sequencing of the purified photoaffinity‐labeled peptide identified the lysine residue at position 268 in the hamster Pgp primary sequence as the major photobinding site of iodomycin in CHO B30 cells. Lysine 268 is located adjacent to the cytosolic terminus of transmembrane 5. According to thermodynamic and kinetic analyses, this location should present the equilibrium binding site of ATP‐free Pgp for daunomycin and iodomycin in B30 cells.

The power of the pump: mechanisms of action of P-glycoprotein (ABCB1)

Members of the superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters mediate the movement of a variety of substrates including simple ions, complex lipids and xenobiotics. At least 18 ABC transport proteins are associated with disease conditions. P-glycoprotein (Pgp, ABCB1) is the archetypical mammalian ABC transport protein and its mechanism of action has received considerable attention. There is strong biochemical evidence that Pgp moves molecular cargo against a concentration gradient using the energy of ATP hydrolysis. However, the molecular details of how the energy of ATP hydrolysis is coupled to transport remain in dispute and it has not been possible to reconcile the data from various laboratories into a single model. The functional unit of Pgp consists of two nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) and two trans-membrane domains which are involved in the transport of drug substrates. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in characterizing these functionally and spatially distinct domains of Pgp. In addition, our understanding of the domains has been augmented by the resolution of structures of several non-mammalian ABC proteins. This review considers: (i) the role of specific conserved amino acids in ATP hydrolysis mediated by Pgp; (ii) emerging insights into the dimensions of the drug binding pocket and the interactions between Pgp and the transport substrates and (iii) our current understanding of the mechanisms of coupling between energy derived from ATP binding and/or hydrolysis and efflux of drug substrates.

P-glycoprotein: from genomics to mechanism

Resistance to chemically different natural product anti-cancer drugs (multidrug resistance, or MDR) results from decreased drug accumulation, resulting from expression of one or more ATP-dependent efflux pumps. The first of these to be identified was P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the product of the human MDR1 gene, localized to chromosome 7q21. P-gp is a member of the large ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of proteins. Although its crystallographic 3-D structure is yet to be determined, sequence analysis and comparison to other ABC family members suggest a structure consisting of two transmembrane (TM) domains, each with six TM segments, and two nucleotide-binding domains. In the epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidney, and capillaries of the brain, testes, and ovaries, P-gp acts as a barrier to the uptake of xenobiotics, and promotes their excretion in the bile and urine. Polymorphisms in the MDR1 gene may affect the pharmacokinetics of many commonly used drugs, including anticancer drugs. Substrate recognition of many different drugs occurs within the TM domains in multiple-overlapping binding sites. We have proposed a model for how ATP energizes transfer of substrates from these binding sites on P-gp to the outside of the cell, which accounts for the apparent stoichiometry of two ATPs hydrolysed per molecule of drug transported. Understanding of the biology, genetics, and biochemistry of P-gp promises to improve the treatment of cancer and explain the pharmacokinetics of many commonly used drugs.

Transmembrane domain (TM) 9 represents a novel site in P-glycoprotein that affects drug resistance and cooperates with TM6 to mediate [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin labeling

The multidrug resistant cell line DC-3F/ADII was obtained by stepwise selection for growth in actinomycin D (ActD). Compared with parental cells, it displays high resistance to ActD and vincristine and low resistance to colchicine and daunorubicin. These cells overexpress a form of P-glycoprotein (Pgp1) containing a double mutation, I837L and N839I, in transmembrane domain (TM) 9; when transfected into DC-3F, this mutation confers the DC-3F/ADII phenotype. We have shown previously that another cell line, DC-3F/ADX, also displays this phenotype and overexpresses a mutant form of Pgp1 containing a double mutation in TM6 (G338A, A339P). Hence, mutations in TM9 and TM6 are independently capable of conferring the same cross-resistance phenotype. The TM6 mutations inhibit the ability of cyclosporin A to reverse cross-resistance and to block labeling of the protein by [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin (IAAP), whereas the TM9 mutations do not show similar effects. A chimeric protein containing both pairs of mutations confers twice the level of resistance to ActD than expected from the sum of the individual mutations, but it cannot be labeled to detectable levels with [125I]IAAP. Thus, TM9 represents a novel site that cooperates with TM6 to mediate drug resistance and [125I]IAAP labeling.

Purification and characterization of N-glycosylation mutant mouse and human P-glycoproteins expressed in Pichia pastoris cells

P-glycoprotein confers multidrug resistance in mammalian cells and basic structure-function studies of it are germane to anti-cancer and anti-AIDS therapy. Pure, detergent-soluble mouse MDR3 and human MDR1 P-glycoproteins have recently been obtained in sufficient quantity for high-resolution structure analysis after expression in Pichia pastoris (N. Lerner-Marmarosh et al. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 34711-34718). The degree of glycosylation of these preparations was unknown, and was of relevance for crystallization studies. Therefore mutant proteins in which the N-glycosylation sites were eliminated (Asn --> Gln in mouse MDR3 Pgp, Asn --> Gln or Ala in human MDR1 Pgp) were expressed in P. pastoris and purified to homogeneity. Yields of mutant Pgp were the same as for parent wild-type proteins. Nucleotide-binding and catalytic (ATPase) characteristics were completely normal in the mutant proteins. Mass spectrometry indicated that mutant and wild-type proteins did not differ significantly in mass, demonstrating that the wild-type proteins contain no N-glycosylation.

Cysteines 431 and 1074 are responsible for inhibitory disulfide cross-linking between the two nucleotide-binding sites in human P-glycoprotein

Human wild-type and Cys-less P-glycoproteins were expressed in Pichia pastoris and purified in high yield in detergent-soluble form. Both ran on SDS gels as a single 140-kDa band in the presence of reducing agent and showed strong verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity in the presence of added lipid. The wild type showed spontaneous formation of higher molecular mass species in the absence of reducing agent, and its ATPase was activated by dithiothreitol. Oxidation with Cu(2+) generated the same higher molecular mass species, primarily at 200 and approximately 300 kDa, in high yield. Cross-linking was reversed by dithiothreitol and prevented by pretreatment with N-ethylmaleimide. Using proteins containing different combinations of naturally occurring Cys residues, it was demonstrated that an inhibitory intramolecular disulfide bond forms between Cys-431 and Cys-1074 (located in the Walker A sequences of nucleotide-binding sites 1 and 2, respectively), giving rise to the 200-kDa species. In addition, dimeric P-glycoprotein species ( approximately 300 kDa) form by intermolecular disulfide bonding between Cys-431 and Cys-1074. The ready formation of the intramolecular disulfide between Cys-431 and Cys-1074 establishes that the two nucleotide-binding sites of P-glycoprotein are structurally very close and capable of intimate functional interaction, consistent with available information on the catalytic mechanism. Formation of such a disulfide in vivo could, in principle, underlie a regulatory mechanism and might provide a means of intervention to inhibit P-glycoprotein.

Identification and localization of three photobinding sites of iodoarylazidoprazosin in hamster P-glycoprotein

P-glycoprotein is an ATP-dependent drug-efflux pump which can transport a diverse range of structurally and functionally unrelated substrates across the plasma membrane. Overexpression of this protein may result in multidrug resistance and is a major cause of the failure of cancer chemotherapy. The most commonly used photoreactive substrate is iodoarylazidoprazosin. Its binding domains within the P-glycoprotein have so far been inferred from indirect methods such as epitope mapping. In this study, the binding sites were refined and relocalized by direct analysis of photolabeled peptides. P-glycoprotein-containing plasma membrane vesicles of Chinese hamster ovary B30 cells were photoaffinity-labeled with iodoarylazidoprazosin. After chemical cleavage behind tryptophan residues or enzymatic cleavage behind lysine residues, the resulting 125I-labeled peptides were separated by tricine/PAGE and HPLC and subjected to Edman sequencing. The major photoaffinity binding sites of iodoarylazidoprazosin were localized in the amino-acid regions 248-312 [transmembrane segment (TM)4 to TM5], 758-800 (beyond TM7 to beyond TM8) and 1160-1218 (after the Walker A motif of the second nucleotide-binding domain). Therefore the binding pocket of iodoarylazidoprazosin is made up of at least three binding epitopes.

Investigation of the role of glutamine-471 and glutamine-1114 in the two catalytic sites of P-glycoprotein

P-glycoprotein, also known as multidrug resistance protein, pumps drugs out of cells using ATP hydrolysis as the energy source. Glutamine-471 and the corresponding glutamine-1114 in the two catalytic sites of P-glycoprotein are conserved in ABC transporters. X-ray structures show that they lie close to the bound nucleotide. Proposed functional roles are (1) activation of the attacking water for ATP hydrolysis, (2) coordination of the essential Mg(2+) cofactor in Mg nucleotide, and (3) signal communication between catalytic site reaction chemistry and drug-binding sites. We made mutations Q471A, Q471E, Q1114A, and Q1114E in mouse MDR3 P-glycoprotein. Pure mutant and wild-type proteins were prepared and subjected to enzymatic and biochemical characterization. We conclude from the results that the primary role of this glutamine residue is in interdomain signal communication. Coordination of the Mg(2+) cofactor is not a critical functional role, neither is activation of the attacking water molecule, although an auxiliary role in positioning the water cannot be ruled out. We found that equivalent mutations (Ala or Glu) in either of the two P-glycoprotein catalytic sites produced the same effects, implying functional symmetry of the two sites.

Conserved walker A Ser residues in the catalytic sites of P-glycoprotein are critical for catalysis and involved primarily at the transition state step

P-glycoprotein mutants S430A/T and S1073A/T, affecting conserved Walker A Ser residues, were characterized to elucidate molecular roles of the Ser and functioning of the two P-glycoprotein catalytic sites. Results showed the Ser-OH is critical for MgATPase activity and formation of the normal transition state, although not for initial MgATP binding. Mutation to Ala in either catalytic site abolished MgATPase and transition state formation in both sites, whereas Thr mutants had similar MgATPase to wild-type. Trapping of 1 mol of MgADP/mol of P-glycoprotein by vanadate, shown here with pure protein, yielded full inhibition of ATPase. Thus, congruent with previous work, both sites must be intact and must interact for catalysis. Equivalent mutations (Ala or Thr) in the two catalytic sites had identical effects on a wide range of activities, emphasizing that the two catalytic sites function symmetrically. The role of the Ser-OH is to coordinate Mg(2+) in MgATP, but only at the stage of the transition state are its effects tangible. Initial substrate binding is apparently to an "open" catalytic site conformation, where the Ser-OH is dispensable. This changes to a "closed" conformation required to attain the transition state, in which the Ser-OH is a critical ligand. Formation of the latter conformation requires both sites; both sites may provide direct ligands to the transition state.