ABCG2 (BCRP1/ABCP/MXR) is a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter family that functions as ATP-dependent transporters for a wide variety of chemical compounds and are associated with drug-resistance in cancer cells. ABCG2 is a heavily glycosylated transmembrane protein with six transmembrane spanning regions consistent with it functioning as a half-transporter. The ABC family can exist as either full-length transporters or as half-transporters that form functional transporters through homo- or heterodimerization. High expression of ABCG2 was found in placenta as well as cell lines selected for resistance to a number of chemotherapeutic drugs, including mitoxantrone, doxorubicin, topotecan and flavopiridol. In rodents, the highest expression of ABCG2 was found in kidney. ABCG2 expression has also been observed in stem cell populations, particularly in hematopoietic and neuronal stem cells and is downregulated with differentiation.
