Microbial multidrug-resistance ABC transporters

Multidrug resistance in tumor cells is often caused by the increased efflux of a wide variety of drugs, mediated by P glycoprotein, a member of the superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. The genes encoding members of this superfamily have also been isolated from drug-resistant microorganisms, and the role of microbial ABC transporters in drug resistance is being investigated.