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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Selection of Transporter-Targeted Inhibitory Nanobodies by Solid-Supported-Membrane (SSM)-Based Electrophysiology
Published on: May 3, 2021
Emerging new paradigms for ABCG transporters
Paul T Tarr1, Elizabeth J Tarling, Dragana D Bojanic
1Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
The ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, crucial for cell membrane transport, includes the ABCG subfamily. These proteins are vital for cellular processes and linked to human diseases.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cellular survival relies on regulated transport across lipid membranes, often mediated by integral membrane proteins.
- The ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter family is a large, conserved group of transmembrane proteins essential for substrate transport across cellular membranes.
- ABC transporters utilize ATP hydrolysis to move substrates against concentration gradients, playing critical roles in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- This review focuses on the ABCG subfamily of ABC transporters.
- To highlight the evolutionary conservation and diverse functions of ABCG transporters across taxa.
- To discuss the clinical relevance of mutations in specific ABCG transporters in humans.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of ABC transporter family, with a specific focus on the ABCG subfamily.
- Analysis of evolutionary conservation and functional roles of ABCG transporters.
- Examination of clinical implications associated with ABCG transporter mutations.
Main Results:
- The ABC transporter superfamily is vast (>250 members) and conserved across all phyla.
- Prokaryotic ABC transporters primarily import nutrients, while eukaryotic transporters export substrates or move them into organelles.
- The ABCG subfamily is evolutionarily conserved and involved in various cellular homeostatic processes.
Conclusions:
- ABCG transporters are integral membrane proteins with significant roles in cellular homeostasis.
- Functional mutations in ABCG transporters have direct clinical relevance in human diseases.
- Further research into ABCG transporters may yield therapeutic insights for related human conditions.
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