Read more at: The ABC family of multidrug transporters in microorganisms.
The ABC family of multidrug transporters in microorganisms.
Multidrug transporters are membrane proteins that are able to expel a broad range of toxic molecules from the cell. In humans, the overexpression of the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and the multidrug resistance-associated protein MRP1 (MRP) is a principal cause of resistance of cancers to chemotherapy. These multidrug transporters belong to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of transport proteins that utilize the energy of ATP hydrolysis for activity. In microorganisms, multidrug transporters play an important role in conferring antibiotic resistance on pathogens.