ABC-transporters: implications on drug resistance from microorganisms to human cancers

Resistance to chemotherapy is a common clinical problem in patients with infectious diseases as well as in patients with cancer. During treatment of infections or malignant tumors, the drug targets of prokaryotic or eukaryotic microorganisms and neoplastic cells are often found to be refractory to a variety of drugs that have different structures and functions. This phenomenon has been termed multidrug resistance (MDR). The mechanisms leading to MDR are frequently caused by trans-membrane xenobiotic transport molecules belonging to the superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. There is an urgent need to understand the structure-function relationships of these efflux pumps that underlie their transport mechanism and drug selectivity. This knowledge may allow the rational design of new drugs that can inhibit or circumvent the activity of these MDR transport molecules. Furthermore, the development of such chemosensitizing agents would help us learn more about the physiological functions and substrates of these pump proteins. This review will discuss the current state of knowledge of the functional and structural similarities among ABC-transporters in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and their impact on MDR. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.