MDR1 (P-glycoprotein), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) and lung resistance protein (LRP) are associated with multidrug resistance in various cancer cells. It is known that P-glycoprotein and MRP are also expressed in several normal tissues. However, the exact location of LRP in normal tissues is still unclear. In order to obtain more insight into the physiological role of LRP, its expression in human normal tissues was examined by an immunohistochemical technique, using one monoclonal antibody, LRP-56. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was also utilized for several cell lines and fresh-frozen tissues. P-glycoprotein was found to be expressed in the kidney, adrenal, brain vessels, muscle, lung, pancreas, liver, intestine, placenta and testis. MRP was expressed in the kidney, adrenal, lung, pancreas, muscle, intestine, thyroid and prostate, and its distribution mostly overlapped with that of P-glycoprotein. Interestingly, MRP was not expressed in the liver. LRP at 110 kDa was expressed in the kidney, adrenal, heart, lung, muscle, thyroid, prostate, bone marrow and testis. These findings suggest that LRP as well as P-glycoprotein and MRP plays distinct roles in the physiology of various organs.