WTH3, a new member of the Rab6 gene family, and multidrug resistance.
The WTH3 gene was obtained by a DNA fragment isolated by the methylation-sensitive representational difference analysis technique due to its hypermethylation in the human multidrug resistant (MDR) breast cancer cell line MCF7/AdrR. The WTH3 gene product is 89% and 91% identical to the human Rab6 and Rab6c proteins, but possesses an elongated C-terminal region which contains 46 extra amino acids. Nevertheless, we consider the WTH3 gene a new member of the Rab6 gene family. Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction results showed that WTH3 was 15 and 4 times downregulated in MCF7/AdrR and MES-SA/Dx5, a human MDR uterine sarcoma cell line, as compared to their non-MDR parental cell lines. Permanent expression of the WTH3 transgene in MDR cell lines increased to varying degrees their sensitivity to several anticancer drugs, which included doxorubicin, taxol, vinblastine, vincristine, and etoposide, as compared to the control sublines transfected with the empty vector. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscope experiments suggest that the WTH3 transgene stimulated the host's uptake and retention of DOX. Our results imply that the WTH3 gene plays a role(s) in MDR phenotype development in vitro.
Shan
Jidong
J
Department of Molecular Oncology, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, New York University School of Medicine, R132 Research Building, 350 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA.
Yuan
Liming
L
Budman
Daniel R
DR
Xu
Hao-peng
HP
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple / Q000235:genetics; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014162:Transfection; D019076:Transgenes; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects; D020691:rab GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C094135:Rab6 protein; C417211:RAB6C protein, human; D020691:rab GTP-Binding Proteins