The role of ABC transporters in drug-resistant leishmania

Abstract

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters belong to the largest family of transmembrane proteins found in living organisms. These proteins are present in prokaryotes and eukaryotes and are mainly involved in the transport of a variety of molecules across cellular membranes, whereas others are involved in biological processes unrelated to transport. The recent sequencing of the Leishmania species genome confirmed the presence of representatives, also called as members, for all eight different subfamilies (ABCA to ABCH), according to their specific functional and molecular characteristics. These proteins have recently been characterized in Leishmania; some of them associated with drug resistance. This is a significant field in leishmaniasis chemotherapy, a disease still lacking effective treatment and with increasing daily reports of therapeutic failure. In this chapter, we focus our discussion on the association of these proteins with drug resistance in leishmaniasisand its fundamental role in the pathology and pharmacology of this medically important protozoan parasite that currently infects around 12 million people in the world. © Springer-Verlag Wien 2013.