ABSTRACT
Secretion of bile acids is the major driving force for bile flow in mammals. The recently
described adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent bile acid transporter, bile salt
export pump (BSEP), formerly called sister of p-glycoprotein, is responsible for active
transport of bile acids across the hepatocyte canalicular membrane into bile. It is
now recognized that mutations in the gene encoding this protein (ABCB11) are responsible for a subgroup of infants and children with progressive familial
cholestasis (PFIC-2), a cholestatic disorder causing extreme pruritus, growth failure,
and progression to cirrhosis in the first decade of life. Understanding the structure
and function of BSEP has improved our understanding of the mechanisms underlying bile
secretion. Determining genotype/phenotype relationships in patients with mutations
in this gene are currently ongoing.
KEYWORD
Liver - hepatocyte - hepatobiliary - transport - ABC proteins