Description of paclitaxel resistance-associated genes in ovarian and breast cancer cell lines.
OBJECTIVE
To identify genes involved in the paclitaxel resistance phenotype.


METHODS
High-density Affymetrix HG-U95Av2 microarrays were used to quantify gene expression in the resulting cell lines, SKOV-3TR, OVCAR8TR and MCF-7TR, and their drug-sensitive parental lines, SKOV-3, OVCAR8 and MCF-7.


RESULTS
Three paclitaxel-resistant human ovarian and breast cancer cell lines were established. We identified 790 (SKOV-3TR), 689 (OVCAR8TR) and 964 (MCF-7TR) transcripts that were more than twofold overexpressed relative to their expression in the corresponding parental cell line. A comparison of these transcripts identified eight genes that were significantly overexpressed in all three drug-resistant daughter cell lines. These genes included MDR1, a gene often implicated in both in vitro and in vivo resistance to multiple chemotherapeutics, including paclitaxel. The remaining seven genes have not been previously associated with resistance to paclitaxel in human cancer. Furthermore, we identified 815 (SKOV-3TR), 430 (OVCAR8TR) and 332 (MCF-7TR) transcripts that were more than twofold decreased relative to their expression in the corresponding parental cell line. Comparison of these transcripts identified three genes that were significantly underexpressed in all three drug-resistant cell lines, none of which have been previously associated with paclitaxel resistance.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirm that the paclitaxel resistance phenotype is associated with a large number of transcriptional changes. In addition, acquired paclitaxel resistance was associated with distinct transcriptional changes in each of the cell lines studied, suggesting that paclitaxel resistance is a complex phenotype that can arise through multiple mechanisms.
Duan
Zhenfeng
Z
Department of Hematology/Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. zduan@partners.org
Lamendola
Diana E
DE
Duan
Yifei
Y
Yusuf
Rushdia Z
RZ
Seiden
Michael V
MV
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D019450:Genes, MDR; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel