What is the MRP gene?
The N-myc gene, mapped to chromosome 2p24, is only one of many prognostic indicators for neuroblastoma. An interesting study that was published in NEJM January 25, 1996 — Volume 334, Number 4, showed that overexpression of the gene for the multidrug-resistance-associated protein (MRP) correlates with N-myc oncogene amplification. The MRP gene has been linked with resistance to chemotherapeutic agents (multidrug resistance) in vitro. I can remember reading about this in the newspapers. The work was done in Australia, and I was lucky enough to have a friend who lived there that sent it to me. Researchers are working on drugs to block the effects of the MRP gene. P-glycoprotein lives in the cell membrane. It actually has a “pump type” effect, coiling back and forth across the layer of the membrane approximately 12 times. As an example, adriamycin attacks the nucleus of a drug sensitive cell and interferes with cell division. These pumps can actually “spit the chemo drug out” before it ha
