Expression of the mdr (p-glycoprotein) gene in Chinese hamster digestive tracts

P-glycoprotein has been show to be responsible for multidrug resistance in mammalian cells. However, its Physiological roles in normal cells are not known. The gene encoding this protein has been shown to express at a relatively high level in human digestive tracts. In the present study, in situ hybridizations were employed to determine the expression of this gene in gastrointestinal tissues. Epithelial cells in this villi of small intestine, colon, and stomach were rich in the P-glycoprotein gene transcript, Observation were Consistent with the idea that the P-glycoprotein plays a role in detoxification by pumping potentially harmful compounds into the lumen of digestive tracts in animals. [J Natal Cancer Inst 1988;80:269-275].