title: Brain tumor cell lines resistant to O6-benzylguanine/1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea chemotherapy have O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase mutations.
abstract: The chemotherapeutic activity of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU or carmustine) may be improved by the addition of O6-benzylguanine (O6-BG). The reaction of O6-BG with O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) prevents the repair of O6-chloroethyl lesions caused by BCNU. In clinics, the combination of O6-BG and BCNU is now being tested for the treatment of brain tumors. However, the effectiveness of this drug regimen may be limited by drug resistance acquired during treatment. To understand the possible mechanisms of resistance of brain tumor cells to the O6-BG/BCNU combination, we generated medulloblastoma cell lines (D283 MED, D341 MED, and Daoy) resistant to the combination of O6-BG and BCNU [O6-BG/BCNU resistant (OBR)]. DNA sequencing showed that all of the parent cell lines express wild-type AGTs, whereas every OBR cell line exhibited mutations that potentially affected the binding of O6-BG to the protein as evidenced previously by in vitro mutagenesis and structural studies of AGT. The D283 MED (OBR), Daoy (OBR), and D341 MED (OBR) cell lines expressed G156C, Y114F, and K165T AGT mutations, respectively. We reported previously that rhabdomyosarcoma TE-671 (OBR) also expresses a G156C mutation. These data suggest that the clonal selection of AGT mutants during treatment with O6-BG plus an alkylator may produce resistance to this intervention in clinical settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3624, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Manny D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Bacolod
authors.forename: Stewart P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Anthony E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Pegg
authors.forename: M Eileen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dolan
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Moschel
authors.forename: Nancy S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Bullock
authors.forename: Qingming
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: O Michael
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Colvin
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Modrich
authors.forename: Darell D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Bigner
authors.forename: Henry S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D002330:Carmustine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003849:Deoxyguanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C064976:O(6)-benzylguanine; C088636:O(6)-benzyl-2'-deoxyguanosine; D006147:Guanine; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; D003849:Deoxyguanosine; D002330:Carmustine