Plasma Membrane Proteins Involved in Cell Resistance to Chemotherapeutics

Abstract

The expression of drug efflux pumps located in cell membranes, especially in the plasma membrane, is induced by various hydrophobic compounds with overlapping specificity, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR) in the target cell. This fact is a serious obstacle in the treatment of various infections and cancer. MDR is the result of transcriptional upregulation of genes encoding proteins mediating the efflux of cytotoxic compounds from cells. Novel experimental data show that the physiological role of the MDR network is probably coordination of the synthesis of membrane proteins with the production of lipid components of membranes.