Clinical Significance of Lipid Transport Function of ABC Transporters in the Innate Immune System

Abstract

ABC transporters are a large family of proteins that transport a variety of substrates across cell plasma membranes. Because of this, they are involved in many physiological processes. It is of interest to note that many ABC transporters are involved in the transport of various lipids. In addition, this function may be related to the innate immune system. The evidence that ABC transporters are involved in the regulation of the innate immune system through the transport of various substances greatly enhances the understanding of their clinical significance. ABC transporters are involved in the cellular homeostasis of cholesterol as well as in the regulation of its content in lipid rafts. Through these mechanisms, they can regulate the function of membrane proteins, including receptors of the innate immune system. By regulating lipid transport, some members of ABC transporters are involved in phagocytosis. In addition, ABC transporters are involved in the transport of lipopolysaccharide, lipid mediators of inflammation, and perform other functions in the innate immune system.

Importance of ABC Transporters in the Survival of Parasitic Nematodes and the Prospect for the Development of Novel Control Strategies

“…Although the ABC transport proteins in Class 3 do not act as transporters, they share a common structural component with ABC transporters, specifically the ATPase domain (also known as ABC-2), which utilizes the energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to recognize and bind mismatched DNA bases or DNA insertion loops [ 48 ]. Mammalian ABC transporters export several groups of molecules, for example, lipids, retinoic acid derivatives, cholesterol and sterols, bile acid, iron, nucleosides and peptides [ 49 , 50 ].…”