BACKGROUND & AIMS:

The Dubin-Johnson syndrome is characterized by conjugated hyperbilirubinemia and by impaired secretion of anionic conjugates from hepatocytes into bile. Absence of the multidrug-resistance protein 2 (MRP2; symbol ABCC2), an adenosine triphosphate-dependent conjugate export pump, from the hepatocyte canalicular membrane is the molecular basis of this syndrome. The aim of this study was the elucidation of all exon-intron boundaries of the MRP2 gene as a prerequisite for the analysis of mutations in patients with Dubin-Johnson syndrome.

METHODS:

Exon-intron boundaries of MRP2 were determined, and the amplified exons were screened for mutations. Immunofluorescence microscopy served to localize the MRP2 protein in human liver.

RESULTS:

The human MRP2 gene is approximately 45 kilobases long; it contains 32 exons and a high proportion of class 0 introns. In 2 patients with Dubin-Johnson syndrome, we detected a nonsense mutation at codon 1066 and a 6-nucleotide deletion mutation affecting codons 1392-1394. The MRP2 protein was absent from the canalicular membrane of both patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

The mutations detected so far show that various mutations in the MRP2 gene can lead to the Dubin-Johnson syndrome. The exon-intron boundaries established in this article will facilitate the analysis of additional mutations in the MRP2 gene.