Mutations in the nucleotide-binding sites of P-glycoprotein that affect substrate specificity modulate substrate-induced adenosine triphosphatase activity.

The amino- and carboxy-terminal nucleotide-binding domains (NBD1 and NBD2) of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) share over 80% sequence identity. Almost all of NBD1 can be exchanged by corresponding NBD2 segments with no significant loss of function, except for a small segment around the Walker B motif. Within this segment, we identified two sets of residues [ERGA --> DKGT (522-525) and T578C] that, when replaced by their NBD2 counterparts, cause dramatic alterations of the substrate specificity of the protein [Beaudet, L., and Gros, P. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 17159-17170]. We wished to gain insight into the molecular basis of this defect. For this, we overexpressed the wild-type mouse Mdr3 and variants bearing single or double mutations at these positions in the yeast Pichia pastoris. P-gp-specific ATPase activity was measured in yeast plasma membrane preparations after detergent solubilization and reconstitution in Escherichia coli proteoliposomes. P-gp proteoliposomes from P. pastoris showed a strong verapamil- and valinomycin-stimulated ATPase activity, with characteristics (KM, Vmax) similar to those measured in mammalian cells. Mutations did not appear to affect the KM for Mg2+ATP ( approximately 0.4 mM), but maximum velocity (Vmax) of the drug-stimulated ATPase activity was severely affected in a substrate/modulator-specific fashion. Indeed, all mutants showed complete loss of verapamil-induced ATPase, while all retained at least some degree of valinomycin-induced ATPase activity. Photolabeling studies with [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin, including competition with MDR drugs and modulators, suggested that drug binding was not affected in the mutants. The altered drug resistance profiles of the ERGA --> DKGT(522-525) and T578C mutants in vivo, together with the observed alterations in substrate-induced ATPase activity of these proteins, suggest that the residues involved may form part of a signal pathway between the membrane regions (substrate binding) and the ATP binding sites.