Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
06:47
ABCG5/G8 Crystallization in a Lipidic Bicelle Environment for X-Ray Crystallography
Published on: August 25, 2023
ABCG2 transporter: Structural and functional associations with gout (Review)
Muhammad Arslan Asif1, Zeshan Zulfiqar1, Bahar E Mustafa2
1Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
International Journal of Molecular Medicine
|July 3, 2026
Summary
Dysfunctional ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2) impairs urate excretion, increasing gout risk. The Q141K variant reduces urate transport, impacting treatment response and necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Genetics and Genomics
- Physiology and Pathophysiology
Background:
- ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2) is crucial for urate homeostasis.
- ABCG2 dysfunction is a significant genetic risk factor for hyperuricemia and gout.
- ABCG2 acts as a high-capacity urate efflux pump in key organs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the molecular structure, physiological functions, and pathophysiological effects of ABCG2.
- To focus on the common Q141K loss-of-function variant and its impact on urate transport and disease risk.
- To explore ABCG2's role in the urate transportome and its novel regulatory mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of ABCG2's structure, function, and genetics.
- Analysis of the Q141K variant's impact on protein stability, trafficking, and urate transport.
- Exploration of ABCG2 interactions with other transporters and regulatory factors like the gut microbiome.
Main Results:
- The Q141K variant impairs ABCG2 stability and urate transport, elevating gout and cardiorenal comorbidity risk.
- ABCG2 interacts dynamically with other urate transporters and is regulated by gut microbial metabolites.
- Q141K carriers show diminished efficacy with uricosuric drugs, highlighting pharmacogenomic implications.
Conclusions:
- Understanding ABCG2's multifaceted role is key to addressing impaired urate excretion.
- Emerging therapies like ABCG2 activators and microbiome modulators offer personalized gout prevention and treatment.
- Targeted strategies focusing on ABCG2 are essential for managing hyperuricemia and gout.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Pharmacogenetics of Drug Transporters: P-Glycoprotein and Solute Carrier Transporters
The pharmacogenetics of drug transporters is increasingly recognized as a critical factor influencing interindividual variability in drug absorption, distribution, and elimination. These membrane-bound proteins regulate drugs' movement across cellular barriers by actively pumping them out (efflux) or facilitating their uptake (influx). Among the major transporter families, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) and solute carrier (SLC) transporters play particularly prominent roles. Genetic polymorphisms...
01:27ABC Transporters: Importer
ATP-binding cassette or ABC transporters are a class of ATP-driven pumps that hydrolyze ATP to move solutes across the membrane. They can be grouped into importers and exporters. While exporters are present in all domains of life, importers exist only in bacteria and some plants.
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:
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:
01:31ABC Transporters: Exporter
ATP-binding cassette or ABC transporter is the largest superfamily of integral membrane proteins. The transporters have transmembrane-binding domains (TMDs) and nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs). The TMDs are specific to their substrates, whereas the NBDs are similar to engines that complete ATP hydrolysis to complete the substrate transport. They can be full transporters consisting of two TMDs and NBDs, half transporters with one TMD and NBD, while some encoded with a single TMD or NBD are...
01:27Glucose Transporters
Glucose transporters facilitate the transport of glucose across the cell membrane. In addition to glucose, some glucose transporters can also aid the movement of other hexoses such as fructose, mannose, and galactose.
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
01:44The Significance of Membrane Transport
The transport of solutes across the cell membrane is essential for metabolic processes, like maintaining cell size and volume, generating the action potential, exchanging nutrients and gases, etc. Membrane transport can be either passive or active. It can be simple diffusion, facilitated, or mediated transport aided by transport proteins such as transporters and channels.
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
01:06Carrier-Mediated Transport
Carrier-mediated transport is a pivotal process in drug absorption, particularly for lipid-insoluble drugs, and encompasses facilitated diffusion and active transport. Facilitated diffusion allows drugs to move along their concentration gradient without energy expenditure, while active transport utilizes ATP to drive drug movement against this gradient.
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...
Active transport involves two types of membrane-spanning transporters: uptake and efflux. Uptake transporters are expressed in the small...