ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT,u opiate receptors recognize morphine with high affinity. A 2.1-kb rat brain cDNA whose predicted translation product displays 63% identity with recently described 8 and K opiate receptor sequences was identified through polymerase chain reaction and cDNA homology approaches. This cDNA recognizes a 10.

Radioligand binding and cDNA homology studies have suggested the existence of opiate receptors distinct from the recently-cloned p, S and K receptors. XORlS, a rat brain cDNA whose predicted translation product displays 67-72% homology with those encoded by ~1, 61 and ~1 opiate receptor cDNAs, was constructed from two partial cDNAs identified through cDNA homology approaches. A longer XORlL variant of this cDNA was also identified by polymerase chain reaction studies using genomic DNA and cDNA from brain and peripheral tissues. XORl mRNA is most highly expressed in hypothalamus. COS cell expression of both clones confers neither robust binding of opiate hgands nor reproducible opiate inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase. These studies identify an orphan clone that helps to define features of the opiate receptor gene family, including apparent differential splicing and expression in peripheral tissues.

Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), an ATP-binding cassette transporter, confers resistance to a series of anticancer reagents such as mitoxantrone, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin, and topotecan. We reported previously that estrone and 17␤-estradiol reverse BCRP-mediated multidrug resistance. In the present study, we demonstrate that BCRP exports estrogen metabolites. First, we generated BCRP-transduced LLC-PK1 (LLC/BCRP) cells, in which exogenous BCRP is expressed in the apical membrane, and investigated transcellular transport of 3 H-labeled compounds using cells plated on microporous filter membranes. The basal-to-apical transport (excretion) of mitoxantrone, estrone, and 17␤-estradiol was greater in LLC/ BCRP cells than in LLC-PK1 cells. Thin-layer chromatography of transported steroids revealed that the transport of estrone and 17␤-estradiol was independent of BCRP expression. Alternatively, increased excretion of estrone sulfate and 17␤-estradiol sulfate was observed in LLC/BCRP cells. BCRP inhibitors completely inhibited the increased excretion of sulfated estrogens across the apical membrane. Conversion of estrogens into their sulfate conjugates was similar between LLC/BCRP and LLC-PK1 cells, suggesting that the increased excretion of estrogen sulfates was attributable to BCRP-mediated transport. Next, the uptake of 3 H-labeled compounds in membrane vesicles from BCRP-transduced K562 (K562/BCRP) cells was investigated.3 H-labeled estrone sulfate, but not 3 H-labeled estrone or 17␤-estradiol, was taken up by membrane vesicles from K562/BCRP cells, and this was ATP-dependent. Additionally, BCRP inhibitors suppressed the transport of estrone sulfate in membrane vesicles from K562/BCRP cells. These results suggest that BCRP does not transport either free estrone or 17␤-estradiol but exports sulfate conjugates of these estrogens.Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) is a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter G family and is also known as ABCG2 or ABCP. BCRP mediates concurrent resistance to such chemotherapeutic agents as mitoxantrone (MXR), SN-38 (an active metabolite of CPT-11), and topotecan, presumably by pumping these reagents out of the cell, thereby resulting in concentrations lower than cytotoxic levels (Allikmets et al., 1998;Doyle et al