Multidrug resistance protein 1 (Plasmodium falciparum) (PfMDR1)

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (PfMDR1) is an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter located on the membrane of the digestive vacuole in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (UniProt P13568). It plays a pivotal role in the parasite's physiology by transporting various solutes and drugs, thereby regulating the internal environment of the digestive vacuole where hemoglobin degradation occurs (PMID: 24343361). PfMDR1 is a major determinant of resistance to several antimalarial drugs, including lumefantrine, chloroquine, and mefloquine. Specific polymorphisms, most notably the N86Y mutation, and increases in gene copy number are used as molecular markers to monitor drug efficacy in the field (PMID: 21148475). For example, the wild-type N86 allele is associated with decreased susceptibility to lumefantrine, making it an indirect marker for monitoring resistance to artemether-lumefantrine therapies. As a transporter, PfMDR1 influences the concentration of drugs at their site of action, and its study is crucial for the development of strategies to overcome multidrug-resistant malaria.

Other names

P-glycoprotein homolog 1Pgh1ATP-binding cassette sub-family B member 1 homologPF3D7_0523000

PfMDR1 acts as an ATP-dependent pump that modulates the accumulation of antimalarial drugs within the parasite's digestive vacuole, thereby influencing drug efficacy and resistance.