ATP binding cassette proteins in yeast

Abstract

The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of transporters, also called the “traffic ATPases,” is an ever-growing collection of membrane proteins that mediate transport and channel functions in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. ABC proteins turn up in interesting places and in roles that are relevant to many aspects of cell physiology and disease. Yeast has proven to be an ideal system for studying ABC transporters. The genetic and biochemical potential of yeast for analysis of heterologous ABC proteins from less tractable organisms has only begun to be tapped. The use of the sec vesicle system to obtain biochemically active ABC proteins has made a significant contribution for understanding how several multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins function.