Erratum in:

Science. 2007 Nov 30;318(5855):1382-3.

Comment in:

Bioessays. 2007 Jun;29(6):515-9.

Epilepsia. 2007 Dec;48(12):2369-70.

Science. 2007 Jan 26;315(5811):466-7.

A "silent" polymorphism in the MDR1 gene changes substrate specificity.

Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. kimchi@cber.fda.gov

Synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) do not produce altered coding sequences, and therefore they are not expected to change the function of the protein in which they occur. We report that a synonymous SNP in the Multidrug Resistance 1 (MDR1) gene, part of a haplotype previously linked to altered function of the MDR1 gene product P-glycoprotein (P-gp), nonetheless results in P-gp with altered drug and inhibitor interactions. Similar mRNA and protein levels, but altered conformations, were found for wild-type and polymorphic P-gp. We hypothesize that the presence of a rare codon, marked by the synonymous polymorphism, affects the timing of cotranslational folding and insertion of P-gp into the membrane, thereby altering the structure of substrate and inhibitor interaction sites.

PMID: 17185560 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]