scholarly journals A Study of Multiple Drug Resistance Mechanisms Improved Against Bortezomib on Multiple Myeloma Cell Lines In Vitro.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4183-4183
Author(s):  
Tolga Uyuklu ◽  
A. Ugur Ural ◽  
Meral Sarper ◽  
Ferit Avcu ◽  
Yusuf Baran ◽  
...  

Abstract The most important problem in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the multi drug resistance (MDR) observed before and after the treatment. For this reason in MM cases an early resistance to treatment can be developed or the disease can relapsed in early period. Yet, there has been no improved drug resistance against proteazom inhibitor Bortezomib (Bor), which is used alone or with other chemotherapeutic agents in resistant or relapsed MM cases. In this study, bortezomib resistant human MM cell lines; RPMI-8226, secreting lambda light chain, and ARH-77, secreting IgG, were developed and responsible resistance mechanisms were investigated. For this purpose, by exposing to the cells to sequentially gradual doses of Bor in vitro conditions, resistant cell lines were acquired throughout one year. The IC50 values for Bor were determined after 48 hour incubation by MTT cytotoxicity assay (IC50:1,16nM for RPMI-8226 and IC80:0,6nM for ARH-77) against wild type cells. Throughout one year some cell lines resistant to 1,3nM Bor were acquired by performing Bor to both cell lines in gradual doses. In resistant cell lines IC50:18,07 for RPMI-8226 and IC50:97,56 nM for ARH-77 were determined by MTT assay. In parallel of the gradual increase in drug concentration; the expression changes of the genes of ATP binding cassette protein; MDR1 (Multi Drug Resistance Protein), MRP1 (Multi Drug Resistance Associated Protein), BCRP (Breast Cancer Resistance Protein); and LRP (Lung Resistant Protein) which is responsible for accumulation of the drug in cytoplasm with the aid of nuclear membrane were determined with Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and densitometric analysis. In resistant cells, high expression of MDR1, MRP1, BRCP and LRP genes showed that; pumping the drug out of the cell membrane and decrease in accumulation of the drug in the cytoplasm had effects on the resistant mechanisms against Bor. Furthermore, expression changes of an important sing of apoptosis ‘caspase-3’, pro-apoptotic ‘bax’ and an anti-apoptotic ‘bcl-2’ genes were examined by RT-PCR and we could come to a point that when compared the sensitive cells to resistant cells, expression of caspase-3 gene and pro-apoptotic bax protein decreased but bcl-2 gene expression increased in resistant cell lines. Finally, we concluded that resistant cell lines acquired resistance against apoptosis by means of mitochondria. By means of this project, the genes which are responsible for secondary drug resistance in ARH-77 and RPMI-8226 MM cell lines in vitro conditions against Bor were determined. Also resistance mechanisms against apoptosis were demonstrated. Cross resistance to different chemotherapeutic agents mechanisms are still continuing.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4783-4783
Author(s):  
Hirokazu Miki ◽  
Shuji Ozaki ◽  
Osamu Tanaka ◽  
Shiro Fujii ◽  
Shingen Nakamura ◽  
...  

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy characterized by the accumulation of neoplastic plasma cells in the bone marrow. Although new classes of agents such as thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib have shown marked anti-MM activity in clinical settings, MM remains an incurable disease due to increased resistance to these agents. Therefore, alternative approaches are necessary to overcome drug resistance in MM. KRN5500 is a new derivative of spicamycin produced by Streptomyces alanosinicus (Kirin Pharma, Tokyo, Japan). This drug potently decreases protein synthesis and inhibits cell growth in human tumor cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. Several phase I studies of KRN5500 were conducted in patients with solid tumors, which showed Cmax values of 1000–3000 nM at the maximum tolerated doses. However, no objective anti-tumor response to KRN5500 alone was observed in these patients. In this study, we examined the anti-tumor activity of KRN5500 against MM cells and evaluated its therapeutic potential in combination with other anti-MM agents. MM cell lines and freshly-isolated MM cells were incubated with various concentrations of KRN5500 for 24 hours. Cell proliferation assay showed marked inhibition of cell growth in MM cells such as RPMI 8226, KMS12-BM, and UTMC-2 (IC50 = 10–40 nM), and U266, MM.1S, and primary MM cells (IC50 = 500–1000 nM). Importantly, a chemotherapy-resistant subclone of RPMI 8226 had a similar sensitivity to KRN5500. Annexin V/propidium iodide staining confirmed that KRN5500 induced apoptosis of MM cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was detected after 24 hours with only modest activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 by immunoblotting. Flow cytometric analysis of anti-apoptotic proteins revealed that apoptosis induced by KRN5500 was associated with down-regulation of Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 expression. To determine the effect of KRN5500 on the unfolded protein response (UPR), splicing of XBP-1 mRNA was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In response to stimulation with KRN5500, splicing of XBP-1 mRNA occurred after 24 hours in RPMI 8226 cells, suggesting that KRN5500-induced apoptosis is mediated in part by the inhibition of UPR. Furthermore, synergistic effects on MM cells were observed when KRN5500 was combined with anti-MM agents including melphalan, dexamethasone, and bortezomib. These results suggest that KRN5500 induces apoptosis in MM cells mainly by the caspase-independent pathway and that its unique mechanism of action provides a valuable therapeutic option to overcome drug resistance in patients with MM.


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 122 (21) ◽  
pp. 282-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yijun Yang ◽  
Manujendra N Saha ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Lugui Qiu ◽  
Donna E Reece ◽  
...  

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable due to the development of a drug-resistant phenotype after prolonged therapy. Myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS) is a protein kinase C (PKC) substrate that plays an important role in cell adhesion, spreading and invasion. Our previous studies found that overexpression of phospho-MARCKS (pMARCKS) was detected in developed drug resistant MM cell lines (RPMI-8226 R5, MM.1R) relative to their parental drug sensitive cell lines (RPMI-8226S, MM.1S). We hypothesized that pMARCKS is involved in chemo- and novel drug resistance in MM. To further evaluate the drug resistance, we exposed both RPMI-8226 R5 and MM.1R cell lines to varying dosages of bortezomib, dexamethasone, doxorubicin, and lenalidomide. By MTT assay, both resistant cell lines were found to have significantly higher viability to all 4 drugs compared to their respective non-resistant lines. In addition, Western blot analysis showed increased pMARCKS expressions in all 3 bortezomib resistant cell lines 8226.BR, OPM2.BR, and ANBL-6.BR as compared to their respective bortezomib sensitive cell lines. We next acquired MM patient samples collected at diagnosis and at relapse after bortezomib treatment, and investigated their pMARCKS expression with immunoblotting analyses. The patient samples collected from relapse after bortezomib treatment had higher pMARCKS expression than those collected at diagnosis. Furthermore, we studied additional 3 primary MM patient samples with high pMARCKS expressions and 3 with low expressions for their vaibility after a 36 hour bortezomib treatment, and found that the samples with high pMARCKS expressions were more resistant to bortezomib than those with low pMARCKS expressions (mean IC50 of 7.1 nM and mean IC50 of 4.8 nM, respectively; p = 0.042). Importantly, combination of a low dosage of bortezomib (5.0 nM) with either 2.5 uM or 5.0 uM of enzastaurin (an inhibitor of phospho-PKC), displayed a synergistic cytotoxicity on myeloma cells with high pMARCKS expressions. To further elucidate the role of pMARCKS in drug resistance, we knocked down pMARCKS expression by transfecting siMARCKS into 8226 R5 and MM.1R cells. Following the knockdown, both cell lines had significantly lower viability after treatment with either bortezomib, dexamethasone, doxorubicin, or lenolidomide, in comparison to empty vector controls. FACS analysis and annexin V assay of the knockdown cells and the control cells from both cell lines showed significantly induction of G1/S cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in the knockdown cells. The immunoprecipitation (IP) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) DNA-qPCR analysis further demonstrated that pMARCKS regulates SKP2 expression through binding with E2F1, mediating SKP2/p27Kip1 cell cycle pathway. Finally, we investigated the effect of inhibition of pMARCKS in a 8226 R5 xenograft model of SCID mice. Mice injected with shMARCKS-transfected 8226 R5 cells and received bortezomib showed significant retardation of tumor growth and prolonged survival compared to the control groups. Taken together, our data indicate that pMARCKS is constitutively activated in resistant and relapsed MM cells and contributes to drug resistance by regulating E2F1 mediated SKP2/p27Kip1 cell cycle pathway, thus providing a preclinical rationale for targeting pMARCKS as a promising approach in patients with refractory/relapsed MM. Disclosures: Reece: BMS: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck: Honoraria, Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria; Onyx: Honoraria.


Author(s):  
Lisa Kater ◽  
Benjamin Kater ◽  
Michael A. Jakupec ◽  
Bernhard K. Keppler ◽  
Aram Prokop

AbstractDespite high cure rates in pediatric patients with acute leukemia, development of resistance limits the efficacy of antileukemic therapy. Tris(1,10-phenanthroline)tris(thiocyanato-κN)lanthanum(III) (KP772) is an experimental antineoplastic agent to which multidrug-resistant cell models have shown hypersensitivity. Antiproliferative and apoptotic activities of KP772 were tested in leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumor cell lines as well as primary leukemia cells (isolated from the bone marrow of a child with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The ability to overcome drug resistances was investigated in doxorubicin- and vincristine-resistant cell lines. Real-time PCR was used to gain insight into the mechanism of apoptosis induction. KP772 inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in various leukemia and lymphoma cell lines in a concentration-dependent manner (LC50 = 1–2.5 µM). Primary AML cells were also sensitive to KP772, whereas daunorubicin showed no significant effect. KP772 induces apoptosis independently of Bcl-2, Smac, and the CD95 receptor and is also effective in caspase 3-deficient MCF7 cells, indicating that apoptosis is partly triggered independently of caspase 3. mRNA expression profiling revealed an upregulation of the BH3-only Bcl-2 protein Harakiri in the course of KP772-induced apoptosis. Remarkably, KP772 overcame drug resistance to doxorubicin and vincristine in vitro, and the apoptotic effect in resistant cells was even superior to that in non-resistant parental cells. In combination with vincristine, doxorubicin and cytarabine, synergistic effects were observed in BJAB cells. The cytotoxic potency in vitro/ex vivo and the remarkable ability to overcome multidrug resistance propose KP772 as a promising candidate drug for antileukemic therapy, especially of drug-refractory malignancies.Graphic abstract


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandros Georgiou ◽  
Adam Stewart ◽  
Georgios Vlachogiannis ◽  
Lisa Pickard ◽  
Nicola Valeri ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose We hypothesised that plasticity in signal transduction may be a mechanism of drug resistance and tested this hypothesis in the setting of cetuximab resistance in patients with KRAS/NRAS/BRAFV600 wild-type colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods A multiplex antibody-based platform was used to study simultaneous changes in signal transduction of 55 phospho-proteins in 12 KRAS/NRAS/BRAFV600 wild-type CRC cell lines (6 cetuximab sensitive versus 6 cetuximab resistant) following 1 and 4 h in vitro cetuximab exposure. We validated our results in CRC patient samples (n = 4) using ex vivo exposure to cetuximab in KRAS/NRAS/BRAFV600 cells that were immunomagnetically separated from the serous effusions of patients with known cetuximab resistance. Results Differences in levels of phospho-proteins in cetuximab sensitive and resistant cell lines included reductions in phospho-RPS6 and phospho-PRAS40 in cetuximab sensitive, but not cetuximab resistant cell lines at 1 and 4 h, respectively. In addition, phospho-AKT levels were found to be elevated in 3/4 patient samples following ex vivo incubation with cetuximab for 1 h. We further explored these findings by studying the effects of combinations of cetuximab and two PI3K pathway inhibitors in 3 cetuximab resistant cell lines. The addition of PI3K pathway inhibitors to cetuximab led to a significantly higher reduction in colony formation capacity compared to cetuximab alone. Conclusion Our findings suggest activation of the PI3K pathway as a mechanism of cetuximab resistance in KRAS/NRAS/BRAFV600 wild-type CRC.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 1532-1532
Author(s):  
Fei Bao ◽  
Mary L. Nordberg ◽  
Paula Polk ◽  
Amanda Sun ◽  
David Murray ◽  
...  

Abstract Cyclophosphamide (CP) is one of the alkylating agents collectively referred to as oxazaphosphorines that are used to treat many types of cancers including myeloid leukemia. Tumor cell drug resistance is an important factor for clinical treatment failure. The mechanisms of drug resistance are multifactorial and incompletely understood. KBM-7 human CML cell line was established from blast cells from a patient in the terminal phase of CML. In the CP resistance model, the B5-180 sub-line was isolated following exposure to the in vitro active CP analog 4HC. B5-180 cells were cross-resistant to busulfan and γ-radiation. Total RNA was extracted and hybridized to Affymetrix Genechip HG-U95Av2 arrays. Each array contains 12,386 probes corresponding to approximately 9000 known human genes. Each cell line was arrayed in triplicate. Quantitative RT-PCR, Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) and cytogenetic analysis were performed in both cell lines. Both the KBM-7/B5 parental line and B5-180 resistant sub-line expressed high-levels of BCR-ABL transcripts by real-time RT-PCR. FISH and cytogenetic analysis revealed multiple copies of t(9;22) translocation and other additional chromosomal abnormalities such as trisomy 8, and abnormalities of chromosome 18 in both cell lines. Gene array identified 794 gene transcripts that were more than twofold (range from 2-fold to 2675-fold) over-expressed or under-expressed in the resistant line relative to the parental line. ALDH1A1 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family) showed the most differential expression between sensitive and resistant cell lines, ALDH1A1 was upregulated more than 2000-fold in the resistant sub-line. ALDH-2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 family mitochondrial) was also expressed substantially higher in the resistant line. This finding is consistent with the established fact that elevated ALDH activity is an important factor in the resistance of B5-180 cells to 4HC. The remaining differentially expressed genes encode proteins with a wide variety of biochemical functions, which include 44 apoptosis and 7 anti-apoptosis-related genes, 56 genes related to cell cycle and cell growth, 6 DNA repair genes, 13 genes involved in hemopoiesis and B-cell activation. We also tested the expression of the hematopietic transcription factor PU-1 and PUB, a novel PU-1 binding factor. Interestingly, the expression of PU-1 was decreased and PUB increased in the resistant clone. In conclusion, we have identified a large number of differentially expressed genes in a CP resistant cell line derived from CML blast crisis by microarray technology. Our results suggest that CP resistance is a complex phenotype that involves multiple genes and a variety of mechanisms. Real-time RT-PCR analysis and further characterization of selected genes associated with CP resistance as well as the response in vitro to tyrosine kinase inhibitors are currently under investigation.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 706-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Yasui ◽  
Teru Hideshima ◽  
Makoto Hamasaki ◽  
Aldo M. Roccaro ◽  
Norihiko Shiraishi ◽  
...  

Abstract In this study we report that R-etodolac (SDX-101), at clinically relevant concentrations, induces potent cytotoxicity in drug-sensitive multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines, as well as in dexamethasone (MM.1R)-, doxorubicin (Dox40/RPMI8226)-, and bortezomib (DHL4)-resistant cell lines. Immunoblot analysis demonstrates that R-etodolac induces apoptosis characterized by caspase-8, -9, and -3 and PARP (poly-ADP [adenosine diphosphate]-ribose polymerase) cleavage and down-regulation of cyclin D1 expression. Subcytotoxic doses of R-etodolac up-regulate myeloid cell leukemia-1 proapoptotic variant (Mcl-1S), while enhancing dexamethasone (Dex)-induced caspase activation and apoptosis. The combination of R-etodolac with Dex results in a highly synergistic cytotoxic effect. R-etodolac also induces apoptosis against primary cells isolated from patients with MM refractory to chemotherapy. Although interleukin 6 (IL-6) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) abrogate Dex-induced MM cell cytotoxicity, neither IL-6 nor IGF-1 protects against R-etodolac-induced cytotoxicity in MM cells. R-etodolac also inhibits viability of MM cells adherent to bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), thereby overcoming a mechanism of drug resistance commonly observed with other conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Our data, therefore, indicate that R-etodolac circumvents drug resistance in MM cells at clinically relevant concentrations, targets Mcl-1, and can be synergistically combined with Dex. (Blood. 2005;106:706-712)


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Azharuddin ◽  
Karin Roberg ◽  
Ashis Kumar Dhara ◽  
Mayur Vilas Jain ◽  
Padraig Darcy ◽  
...  

AbstractOne of the hallmarks of cancers is their ability to develop resistance against therapeutic agents. Therefore, developing effective in vitro strategies to identify drug resistance remains of paramount importance for successful treatment. One of the ways cancer cells achieve drug resistance is through the expression of efflux pumps that actively pump drugs out of the cells. To date, several studies have investigated the potential of using 3-dimensional (3D) multicellular tumor spheroids (MCSs) to assess drug resistance; however, a unified system that uses MCSs to differentiate between multi drug resistance (MDR) and non-MDR cells does not yet exist. In the present report we describe MCSs obtained from post-diagnosed, pre-treated patient-derived (PTPD) cell lines from head and neck squamous cancer cells (HNSCC) that often develop resistance to therapy. We employed an integrated approach combining response to clinical drugs and screening cytotoxicity, monitoring real-time drug uptake, and assessing transporter activity using flow cytometry in the presence and absence of their respective specific inhibitors. The report shows a comparative response to MDR, drug efflux capability and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity to assess the resistance profile of PTPD MCSs and two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures of the same set of cell lines. We show that MCSs provide a robust and reliable in vitro model to evaluate clinical relevance. Our proposed strategy can also be clinically applicable for profiling drug resistance in cancers with unknown resistance profiles, which consequently can indicate benefit from downstream therapy.


Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1945-1945
Author(s):  
Kylee H Maclachlan ◽  
Andrew Cuddihy ◽  
Nadine Hein ◽  
Carleen Cullinane ◽  
Simon J. Harrison ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) requires combination drug therapies to delay acquired drug resistance and clinical relapse. We co-developed CX-5461, a highly-selective inhibitor of RNA polymerase I-mediated rDNA transcription(1), currently in phase I trials for relapsed haematological malignancies (Peter Mac). CX-5461 produces a targeted nucleolar DNA damage response (DDR), triggering both a p53-dependent and -independent nucleolar stress response and killing malignant cells while sparing normal cells(2,3). Single-agent CX-5461 provides an impressive survival benefit in mouse models of B-cell lymphoma, acute myeloid leukaemia and now MM(2,4,5). However, drug resistance eventually occurs, confirming the need for combination therapies. Aim: To test the efficacy of CX-5461 in combination with the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat, (prioritised from a boutique high-throughput screen of anti-myeloma agents), with a focus on the setting of resistance to proteasome-inhibitors (PIs). Methods: We assessed the impact of CX-5461 and panobinostat on overall survival in mouse models of MM, then surveyed the effects on cellular response and molecular markers of DDR. We developed bortezomib-resistant cell lines and an in vivo model of bortezomib-resistance to test this combination in the setting of PI-resistance. Results: CX-5461 in combination with panobinostat provides a significant survival advantage in both the transplanted Vk*MYC and the 5T33/KaLwRij models, with minimal bone marrow toxicity. The combination showed increased anti-proliferative effects and cell death in vitro. Interestingly, experiments interrogating the downstream cellular response of this combination suggest that the mechanism(s) driving synergy are complex and cell context-dependent. Cell cycle analysis indicates that both CX-5461- and panobinostat-driven cell cycle effects, i.e. G2/M and G1/S arrest, respectively, are dominant in the combination setting in a cell line-dependent manner, suggesting that context-dependent factors such as p53 may influence the cellular response. Mechanistically, in both p53-wild type and -null cell lines we observe an increase in DDR signalling with single agent CX-5461, with only moderate further increase with the combination. Moreover, CX-5461-mediated MYC downregulation is not universally observed, with the combination promoting further downregulation only in some cell lines. Given the potential for affecting global transcription programs downstream of panobinostat, we are performing transcriptome analyses in the combination setting compared to single agent treatment. We have generated bortezomib-resistant cell lines, sequentially increasing drug exposure to establish populations growing at concentrations above the IC90 of the parental lines. The resistant 5T33 cells retain their resistance to bortezomib in vivo and we have demonstrated that CX-5461 remains effective in this model, significantly increasing survival. We are currently examining the combination of CX-5461 with panobinostat in this model of bortezomib-resistance, which will give critical information guiding patient selection for future clinical trials. Conclusion: The rDNA transcription inhibitor CX-5461 synergises in vitro and in vivo with panobinostat, and CX-5461 retains efficacy in the setting of bortezomib-resistant myeloma. References Drygin et al., Cancer Research 2011 Bywater et al., Cancer Cell 2012 Quin et al, Oncotarget, 2016 Devlin et al., Cancer Discovery 2016 Hein et al., Blood 2017 Disclosures Harrison: Janssen-Cilag: Other: Scientific advisory board.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6058
Author(s):  
Vikas Patel ◽  
István Szász ◽  
Viktória Koroknai ◽  
Tímea Kiss ◽  
Margit Balázs

Combination treatment using BRAF/MEK inhibitors is a promising therapy for patients with advanced BRAFV600E/K mutant melanoma. However, acquired resistance largely limits the clinical efficacy of this drug combination. Identifying resistance mechanisms is essential to reach long-term, durable responses. During this study, we developed six melanoma cell lines with acquired resistance for BRAFi/MEKi treatment and defined the molecular alterations associated with drug resistance. We observed that the invasion of three resistant cell lines increased significantly compared to the sensitive cells. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed differentially expressed genes that were functionally linked to a variety of biological functions including epithelial-mesenchymal transition, the ROS pathway, and KRAS-signalling. Using proteome profiler array, several differentially expressed proteins were detected, which clustered into a unique pattern. Galectin showed increased expression in four resistant cell lines, being the highest in the WM1617E+BRes cells. We also observed that the resistant cells behaved differently after the withdrawal of the inhibitors, five were not drug addicted at all and did not exhibit significantly increased lethality; however, the viability of one resistant cell line (WM1617E+BRes) decreased significantly. We have selected three resistant cell lines to investigate the protein expression changes after drug withdrawal. The expression patterns of CapG, Enolase 2, and osteopontin were similar in the resistant cells after ten days of “drug holiday”, but the Snail protein was only expressed in the WM1617E+BRes cells, which showed a drug-dependent phenotype, and this might be associated with drug addiction. Our results highlight that melanoma cells use several types of resistance mechanisms involving the altered expression of different proteins to bypass drug treatment.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 4423-4423
Author(s):  
David A. Estes ◽  
Rahul Poria ◽  
Debbie M. Lovato ◽  
Hadya M. Khawaja ◽  
Claudia L. Quan ◽  
...  

Abstract Acquisition of drug resistance in tumor cells in children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) during chemotherapy results in relapse and poor outcome. T-ALL cell lines that have acquired resistance to chemotherapeutics are therefore critical tools for the study of acquired resistance, yet there is a paucity of cell lines available for study. In this study, we hypothesize that drug resistant T-ALL cells can be produced by prolonged exposure to chemotherapeutics and that microarray analysis can be employed to identify the gene products responsible for acquired drug resistance. By incrementally increasing the drug concentration in growth media, we have produced T-ALL cell lines (Jurkat and Sup T1) that grow well in the presence of therapeutic concentrations of L-asparaginase (ASNase) and daunorubicin (DNR). The genetic profiles of the drug-resistant cell lines were compared to their parental progenitors using the Affymetrix HG-U133Plus2 GeneChip platform, capable of hybridizing ~54,000 genes and ESTs/chip. Signal intensity was normalized using the robust multi-array average (RMA) technique in GeneSpring 7.2. The Sup T1 and Jurkat ASNase-resistant cell lines increased their IC50s 26-fold (0.044 IU/mL to 1.14 IU/mL) and 320-fold (0.003 IU/mL to 0.96 IU/mL), respectively. The IC50 of the Jurkat DNR resistant cell line increased 77-fold (30 nM to 2300 nM), and 4.0-fold, (0.46 nM to 1.85 nM), respectively. Notably, DNR resistant Jurkat cells were also resistant to therapeutic concentrations of vincristine and prednisolone, but not ASNase. In contrast, the ASNase resistant cell lines remained sensitive to DNR, vincristine, and prednisolone. Microarray data comparing DNR-resistant and parental cell lines showed 288 genes upregulated >1.5-fold in the resistant line. Two sets of genes were the most upregulated in the drug resistant cells in comparison to parental cells. ABCB1 (ABC transporter P-glycoprotein) was upregulated ~940-fold and genes coding for 6 different killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) were upregulated >6-fold. In the case of the ASNase-resistant cell lines, 96 genes were found to be upregulated >1.5-fold in both Jurkat and Sup T1 lines. The most highly upregulated gene in both cell lines was argininosuccinate synthase (ASS), 32-fold upregulated in Jurkat and 6.5-fold in Sup T1. All expression results were confirmed by qRT-PCR. These genes have previously been implicated in the acquisition of drug resistance: ASS is critical for responding to asparagine depletion caused by ASNase. ABCB1 acts as a molecular pump capable of lowering intracellular concentrations of substrate chemotherapeutics such as DNR, vincristine, and prednisolone, consistent with our observation of multi-drug resistance in that cell line. To our knowledge, this is the first description of DNR and ASNase resistant Jurkat and Sup T1 T-ALL cell lines. In addition, our results suggest that microarray technology is a valid method for elucidating the genetic nature of drug resistance in T-ALL cell lines, making it a productive approach to identify mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance. Finally, these cell lines will serve as useful tools for studying mechanisms of chemotherapeutic resistance in T-ALL.


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