Tobacco carcinogen NNK transporter MRP2 regulates CFTR function in lung epithelia: Implications for lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. About 85% of all lung cancers are linked to tobacco smoke, in which more than 50 lung carcinogens have been identified and one of the most abundant is 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). The human lung epithelium constitutes the first line of defense against tobacco-specific carcinogens, in which apically-localized receptors, transporters, and ion channels in the airway may play a critical role in this native defense against tobacco smoke. Here we showed that multidrug resistance protein-2 (MRP2) and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), two ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, are localized to the apical surfaces of plasma membrane in polarized lung epithelial cells. We observed that there is a functional coupling between CFTR and MRP2 that may be mediated by PDZ proteins. We also observed the existence of a macromolecular complex containing CFTR, MRP2, and PDZ proteins, which might form the basis for the regulatory cooperation between these two ABC transporters. Our results have important implications for cigarette smoke-associated lung diseases (such as smoke-related emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer).