Intestinal transmembrane protein

Carrier-Mediated Intestinal Transport. Various carrier mediated systems (transporters) are present at the intestinal brush border and basolateral membrane for theabsorption of specific ions and nutrients essential for the body. Many drugs are absorbed by these carriers because of the structural similarity to natural substrates. An intestinal transmembrane protein, P-Glycoprotein (F-Gp) appears to reduce apparent intestinal epithelial cell permeability from lumen to... 

Both adrenaline and noradrenaline stimulate smooth muscles throughout the body and have a hypertensive effect. Their postsynaptic receptors are 7-helix transmembrane proteins (Fig. 11-6). A comparison of the effects of various analogs led to the classification of these receptors into classes a, a2, P, and P2, which are discussed briefly on pp. 553-555. The a receptors, which are structurally closely related to rhodopsin,753/754 are coupled via Gq /11 proteins to a phosphoinositide-activated phospholipase C (Figs. 11-9, 30-19).755 They usually provoke an excitatory response. However, in intestinal smooth muscles they are inhibitory. Adrenaline is usually more active at a receptors than is noradrenaline. A specific antagonist... 

The porins are a class of transmembrane proteins whose structure differs radically from that of other integral proteins. Several types of porin are found in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli and in the outer membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts. The outer membrane protects an intestinal bacterium from harmful agents (e.g., antibiotics, bile salts, and proteases) but permits the uptake and disposal of small hydrophilic molecules including nutrients and waste products. The porins in the outer membrane of an E. coli cell provide channels for the passage of disaccharides and other small molecules as well as phosphate. 

Figure 8.3 A model of iron transport across the intestine. Reduction of ferric complexes to the ferrous form is achieved by the action of the brush border ferric reductase. The ferrous form is transported across the brush border membrane by the proton-coupled divalent cation transporter (DCT1) where it enters an unknown compartment in the cytosol. Ferrous iron is then transported across the basolateral membrane by IREG1, where the membrane-bound copper oxidase hephaestin (Hp) promotes release and binding of Fe3+ to circulating apotransferrin. Except for hephaestin the number of transmembrane domains for each protein is not shown in full. Reprinted from McKie et al., 2000. Copyright (2000), with permission from Elsevier Science.

In contrast to P-gp and the MRP proteins, the breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) contains six transmembrane domains and only one ATP-binding domain. It was first cloned from the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 selected in doxombicin, in the presence of the P-gp inhibitor verapamil. It is found in many human tissues, such as the placenta, small intestine, colon, and liver [133], It is localized to the apical membrane of epithelial cells of the small intestine and colon and to the bile canalicular membrane in the liver and is involved in reducing intestinal uptake, increasing hepatobiliary excretion, etc., leading to diminished oral bioavailability. cDNA sequences identical to BCRP and named MXR and ABCP, respectively, were independently isolated from human colon carcinoma cells and human placenta [134], BCRP requires... 

Endothelin receptors are present in many tissues and organs, including the blood vessel wall, cardiac muscle, central nervous system, lung, kidney, adrenal, spleen, and intestine. Two receptor subtypes, termed ETA and ETb, have been cloned and sequenced. ETA receptors have a high affinity for ET-1 and a low affinity for ET-3 and are located on smooth muscle cells, where they mediate vasoconstriction. ETb receptors have approximately equal affinities for ET-1 and ET-3 and are located on vascular endothelial cells, where they mediate release of PGI2 and nitric oxide. Both receptor subtypes belong to the G protein-coupled seven-transmembrane domain family of receptors. 

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