Contribution of radixin to P-glycoprotein expression and transport activity in mouse small intestine in vivo.

The ERM proteins, ezrin, radixin, and moesin, are membrane-cytoskeleton cross-linkers with multiple physiological functions. We previously showed that radixin is involved in posttranslational regulation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells. Here, we investigated the physiological role of radixin in regulating P-gp expression and activity in the small intestine by comparing wild-type- and radixin knockout (Rdx) mice. In intestinal tissue homogenates, P-gp protein levels increased markedly from the upper part to the lower part of the small intestine in both wild-type- and Rdx(-/-) mice. In the membrane fractions, a similar pattern was seen in wild-type mice. However, the membrane expression of P-gp protein remained at the same level from the upper to the lower part of the small intestine in Rdx(-/-) mice. When rhodamine123 (Rho123), a substrate of P-gp, was orally administered to Rdx(-/-) and wild-type mice, the absorption phase of Rho123 was greater in Rdx(-/-) than in wild-type mice, whereas the elimination phase in Rdx(-/-) mice was not different from that of wild-type mice. Our results indicate that radixin plays an important role in regulating P-gp localization and P-gp functional activity at the intestinal membrane.