TY - JOUR T1 - Communication between Multiple Drug Binding Sites on P-glycoprotein JF - Molecular Pharmacology JO - Mol Pharmacol SP - 624 LP - 632 DO - 10.1124/mol.58.3.624 VL - 58 IS - 3 AU - Catherine Martin AU - Georgina Berridge AU - Christopher F. Higgins AU - Prakash Mistry AU - Peter Charlton AU - Richard Callaghan Y1 - 2000/09/01 UR - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/58/3/624.abstract N2 - P-glycoprotein, a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter family, is able to confer resistance on tumors against a large number of functionally and chemically distinct cytotoxic compounds. Several recent investigations suggest that P-glycoprotein contains multiple drug binding sites rather than a single site of broad substrate specificity. In the present study, radioligand-binding techniques were used to directly characterize drug interaction sites on P-glycoprotein and how these multiple sites interact. The drugs used were classified as either 1) substrates, which are known to be transported by P-glycoprotein (e.g., vinblastine) or 2) modulators, which alter P-glycoprotein function but are not themselves transported by the protein (e.g., XR9576). Drug interactions with P-glycoprotein were either competitive, at a common site, or noncompetitive, and therefore at distinct sites. Based on these data, we can assign a minimum of four drug binding sites on P-glycoprotein. These sites fall into two categories: transport, at which translocation of drug across the membrane can occur, and regulatory sites, which modify P-glycoprotein function. Intriguingly, however, some modulators interact with P-glycoprotein at a transport site rather than a regulatory site. The pharmacological data also demonstrate that both transport and regulatory sites are able to switch between high- and low-affinity conformations. The multiple sites on P-glycoprotein display complex allosteric interactions through which interaction of drug at one site switches other sites between high- or low-affinity conformations. The data are discussed in terms of a model for the mechanism of transport by P-glycoprotein. ER -