Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology

Volume 117, Issue 3, September 1999, Pages 653-660
Gastroenterology

Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
Exon-intron organization of the human multidrug-resistance protein 2 (MRP2) gene mutated in Dubin–Johnson syndrome,☆☆,

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-5085(99)70459-2Get rights and content

Abstract

Background & Aims: The Dubin–Johnson syndrome is characterized by conjugated hyperbilirubinemia and by impaired secretion of anionic conjugates from hepatocytes into bile. Absence of the multidrug-resistance protein 2 (MRP2; symbol ABCC2), an adenosine triphosphate–dependent conjugate export pump, from the hepatocyte canalicular membrane is the molecular basis of this syndrome. The aim of this study was the elucidation of all exon-intron boundaries of the MRP2 gene as a prerequisite for the analysis of mutations in patients with Dubin–Johnson syndrome. Methods: Exon-intron boundaries of MRP2 were determined, and the amplified exons were screened for mutations. Immunofluorescence microscopy served to localize the MRP2 protein in human liver. Results: The human MRP2 gene is ~45 kilobases long; it contains 32 exons and a high proportion of class 0 introns. In 2 patients with Dubin–Johnson syndrome, we detected a nonsense mutation at codon 1066 and a 6-nucleotide deletion mutation affecting codons 1392–1394. The MRP2 protein was absent from the canalicular membrane of both patients. Conclusions: The mutations detected so far show that various mutations in the MRP2 gene can lead to the Dubin–Johnson syndrome. The exon-intron boundaries established in this article will facilitate the analysis of additional mutations in the MRP2 gene.

GASTROENTEROLOGY 1999;117:653-660

Section snippets

Patients and tissue samples

Patient H1 with Dubin–Johnson syndrome has been described in detail recently.4 Patient H2 was a white woman, 25 years of age, who had a 10-year history of intermittent jaundice. Hyperbilirubinemia was moderate with serum levels of 47 and 27 μmol/L for conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin, respectively. Serum activities of alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and alkaline phosphatase were in the normal range. Patient H2 gave written informed consent to the needle biopsy that was

Exon-intron organization of the human MRP2 gene

As a prerequisite for a detailed analysis of mutations in the coding region of the human MRP2 gene, we determined the exon-intron boundaries of this gene. The MRP2 gene spans ~45 kilobases (kb). The analysis of the amplified fragments indicated that the human MRP2 gene contains 32 exons ranging in size from 56 to 255 base pairs (bp; Fig. 1, Fig. 1). Intron sizes varied from 145 bp to ~3.6 kb. Of the 31 introns, 21 were class 0 (where the splice occurs between codons), 3 were class 1 (where the

Discussion

Knowledge of the exon-intron organization of the human MRP2 gene provides the basis for an efficient screening for mutations located in the coding region. Our analysis indicates that the human MRP2 gene comprises 32 exons and spans ~45 kb (Figure 1A). The genomic structure of the human MRP2 gene exhibits a remarkable similarity to that of the human MRP1 gene reported by Grant et al.,20 as indicated by the number and size of exons and by the high proportion of class 0 introns (Figure 5).

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Marion Pfannschmidt for excellent technical assistance.

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    Address requests for reprints to: Dietrich Keppler, M.D., Division of Tumor Biochemistry, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. e-mail: [email protected]; fax: (49) 6221-422402.

    ☆☆

    Supported in part by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through Sonderforschungsbereich 601 and 352 and through Forschungsschwerpunkt Transplantation Heidelberg.

    This article is dedicated to Professor emeritus Tadasu Tsujii, Nara Medical University, Japan, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

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