# Regulation of hepatic uptake transporters by tyrosine kinases

> **NIH NIH R01** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · 2021 · $470,638

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Hepatic drug uptake transporters are major regulators of systemic clearance and patient outcome, however,
characterization of post-translational modifications that mediate the function of these transporters have remained
greatly under studied. Therefore, the long-term goal associated with this proposal is to define the extent and
significance of post-translational-mediated regulation of pharmacologically important drug-transporters, such as
OATP1B1. The overall objective of this proposal is to delineate the consequences of tyrosine kinase inhibitor-
(TKI) mediated inhibition of OATP1B1. The central hypothesis is that specific tyrosine kinase(s) are essential
regulators of OATPB1, and that interference with this process will decrease hepatic accumulation and increase
plasma concentrations of OATP1B1 substrates, resulting in pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD)
drug-drug interactions (DDIs). The rationale for this project is that elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms that
affect OATP1B1 function will contribute to refinement of therapeutic strategies that have unfortunately to date
yielded a variety of unexpected DDI-mediated life-threatening toxicities, which includes statin-induced
rhabdomyolysis. The central hypothesis will be tested by pursuing two specific aims: 1) Identify and elucidate
the role of regulatory kinases involved in OATP1B1 function; and 2) Investigate the in vivo effects of regulatory
kinases on OATP1B1 activity. Under the first aim, LC/MS/MS-based proteomics will be used to measure the
ability of kinase inhibitors to modulate OATP1B1 phosphorylation in vitro and ex vivo, while genetic manipulation
and comprehensive kinase inhibition or binding assays will be utilized to identify the regulatory kinase of
OATP1B1 function. Under the second aim, human transgenic OATP1B1, as well as transporter- and kinase-
deficient in vivo mouse models will be used to assess PK/PD changes of OATP1B1 substrates in the presence
or absence of TKIs. This will provide mechanistic insight into the role of tyrosine kinases in regulating OATP1B1-
mediated hepatic handling of substrates. The collective findings of Aim 2 will also be utilized to develop
physiologically-based PK/PD models to predict outcome of TKI-OATP1B1 substrate interactions. The research
proposed in this application is innovative because it represents a substantive departure from the status quo by
exploring tyrosine kinase activity as a regulator of OATP1B1 function and as a mediator of systemic levels of
both endogenous biomarkers and xenobiotics. The proposed research is significant because it is expected to
provide important new insights into regulatory mechanisms essential to the function of OATP1B1, the molecular
kinase pathways modulating this transporter, and their role in the hepatic handling of the many relevant
endogenous and xenobiotic substrates. Ultimately, such knowledge is expected to contribute to the foundation
of preventing life-threatening DDIs in...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10366185
- **Project number:** 1R01GM139936-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason A Sprowl
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $470,638
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-15 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10366185

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10366185, Regulation of hepatic uptake transporters by tyrosine kinases (1R01GM139936-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10366185. Licensed CC0.

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