FVB-Abcb1a & Abcb1b DKO (Mdr1a/b KO) Mouse

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), also known as multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1), is an ATP-binding cassette transporter that acts as a biological barrier by expelling toxins and foreign substances from cells. P-gp is capable of transporting many structurally and functionally different compounds out of cells ^[1]. However, the mechanism of MDR1 also prevents the uptake of many cancer treatment drugs by cells, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR) ^[2]. In normal organisms, MDR1’s distribution in the blood-brain barrier and blood-placenta barrier prevents exogenous drugs and toxins from entering the central nervous system and placenta of the organism, thereby protecting the organism and enabling it to perform normal physiological functions. In pathological conditions, however, the MDR1 in the blood-brain barrier prevents drugs from entering the central nervous system, and in tumor cells, leads to the development of MDR. The evolution of MDR remains one of the major obstacles to controlling or curing cancer ^[3-4].

In humans, the MDR1 protein is encoded by the ABCB1 gene. In mice, two closely located genes, Abcb1a and Abcb1b, encode the MDR1a and MDR1b subtypes of this protein. Mouse MDR1a and MDR1b have 80% homology with human MDR1. MDR1a and MDR1b have the same function as human MDR1 protein in resisting anticancer drugs. Although mouse MDR1a and MDR1b proteins are distributed in different tissues of the body, their overall distribution is consistent with that of human MDR1 protein ^[5-6]. In summary, the distribution and function of mouse MDR1a and MDR1b are consistent with those of human MDR1.

This strain is an MDR1 knockout model, in which the human ABCB1 gene’s homologous genes, Abcb1a and Abcb1b, were knocked out in mice using gene editing technology. This model lacks the expression of MDR1 protein and can be used for research in areas such as blood-brain barrier permeability-related diseases and multidrug resistance of anti-tumor drugs.