Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2025

Characterization of Membrane Transporters by Heterologous Expression in E. coli and Production of Membrane Vesicles
Published on: December 31, 2019
ABCB transporters: functionality extends to more than auxin transportation
Ritu Devi1,2,3, Palak Arora1,2, Bhawna Verma1,2,3
1Plant Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, 180001, India.
Main Conclusion:
ABCs transport diverse compounds; with plant's most abundant ABCG and ABCB subfamilies. ABCBs are multi-functional transporter proteins having role in plant adaptation. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins have been known for the transportation of various structurally diverse compounds in all kingdoms of life. Plants possess a particularly high number of ABC transporters compared to other eukaryotes: the most abundant being ABCG followed by the ABCB subfamilies. While members of the ABCB subfamily are primarily known for auxin transportation, however, studies have shown their involvement in variety of other functions viz. growth and development, biotic and abiotic stresses, metal toxicity and homeostasis, cellular redox state stability, stomatal regulation, cell shape maintenance, and transport of secondary metabolites and phytohormones. These proteins are able to perform various biological processes due to their widespread localization in the plasma membrane, mitochondrial membrane, chloroplast, and tonoplast facilitating membrane transport influenced by various environmental and biological cues. The current review compiles published insights into the role of ABCB transporters, and also provides brief insights into the role of ABCB transporters in a medicinal plant, where the synthesis of its bioactive secondary metabolite is linked to the primary function of ABCBs, i.e., auxin transport. The review discusses ABCB subfamily members as multi-functional protein and comprehensively examines their role in various biological processes that help plants to survive under unfavorable environmental conditions.
More Related Videos
12:18A Strategy to Validate the Role of Callose-mediated Plasmodesmal Gating in the Tropic Response
Published on: April 17, 2016
08:31Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes-Mediated Transformation of Potato and the Promoter Activity of a Suberin Gene by GUS Staining
Published on: March 29, 2019
Related Concept Videos
ABC Transporters: Exporter
ABC Transporters: Importer
In bacteria, based on the number of transmembrane helices and the chemical nature of their substrates, the ABC importers can be divided into three types:
Carrier-Mediated Transport
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
Active Transport
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport
Facilitated diffusion is a passive process that utilizes human Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters. These transporters bind to the drug, undergo structural...
Short-distance Transport of Resources