Antibodies in the study of multiple drug resistance

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major problem in cancer chemotherapy. As P-glycoprotein is the key molecule in MDR, many investigators have constructed anti-P-glycoprotein monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Those antibodies, including MRK16 and C219, were used for elucidation of the mechanism of MDR and for overcoming of MDR. This article describes the characterization of the antibodies against the P-glycoprotein and other proteins of multidrug-resistant tumor cells, and discusses the therapeutic implication of the antibodies.Abbreviation ADCC antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity     

miR‐495 sensitizes MDR cancer cells to the combination of doxorubicin and taxol by inhibiting MDR1 expression

MDR1 is highly expressed in MDR A2780DX5 ovarian cancer cells, MDR SGC7901R gastric cancer cells and recurrent tumours. It pumps cytoplasmic agents out of cells, leading to decreased drug accumulation in cells and making cancer cells susceptible to multidrug resistance. Here, we identified that miR‐495 was predicted to target ABCB1, which encodes protein MDR1. To reduce the drug efflux and reverse MDR in cancer cells, we overexpressed a miR‐495 mimic in SGC7901R and A2780DX cells and in transplanted MDR ovarian tumours in vivo. The results indicated that the expression of MDR1 in the above cells or tumours was suppressed and that subsequently the drug accumulation in the MDR cells was decreased, cell death was increased, and tumour growth was inhibited after treatment with taxol‐doxorubicin, demonstrating increased drug sensitivity. This study suggests that pre‐treatment with miR‐495 before chemotherapy could improve the curative effect on MDR1‐based MDR cancer.     

Increase in multidrug transport activity is associated with oocyte maturation in sea stars

In this study, we report on the presence of efflux transporter activity before oocyte maturation in sea stars and its upregulation after maturation. This activity is similar to the multidrug resistance (MDR) activity mediated by ATP binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporters. In sea star oocytes the efflux activity, as measured by exclusion of calcein-am, increased two-fold 3 h post-maturation. Experiments using specific and non-specific dyes and inhibitors demonstrated that the increase in transporter activity involves an ABCB protein, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and an ABCC protein similar to the MDR-associated protein (MRP)-like transporters. Western blots using an antibody directed against mammalian P-gp recognized a 45 kDa protein in sea star oocytes that increased in abundance during maturation. An antibody directed against sea urchin ABCC proteins (MRP) recognized three proteins in immature oocytes and two in mature oocytes. Experiments using inhibitors suggest that translation and microtubule function are both required for post-maturation increases in transporter activity. Immunolabeling revealed translocation of stored ABCB proteins to the plasma cell membrane during maturation, and this translocation coincided with increased transport activity. These MDR transporters serve protective roles in oocytes and eggs, as demonstrated by sensitization of the oocytes to the maturation inhibitor, vinblastine, by MRP and PGP-specific transporter inhibitors.     

Identification of novel leads applying in silico studies for Mycobacterium multidrug resistant (MMR) protein

Multidrug efflux mechanism is the main cause of intrinsic drug resistance in bacteria. Mycobacterium multidrug resistant (MMR) protein belongs to small multidrug resistant family proteins (SMR), causing multidrug resistance to proton (H⁺)-linked lipophilic cationic drug efflux across the cell membrane. In the present work, MMR is treated as a novel target to identify new molecular entities as inhibitors for drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In silico techniques are applied to evaluate the 3D structure of MMR protein. The putative amino acid residues present in the active site of MMR protein are predicted. Protein–ligand interactions are studied by docking cationic ligands transported by MMR protein. Virtual screening is carried out with an in-house library of small molecules against the grid created at the predicted active site residues in the MMR protein. Absorption distribution metabolism and elimination (ADME) properties of the molecules with best docking scores are predicted. The studies with cationic ligands and those of virtual screening are analysed for identification of new lead molecules as inhibitors for drug resistance caused by the MMR protein.     

Using purified P-glycoprotein to understand multidrug resistance

Since P-glycoprotein was discovered almost 20 years ago, its causative role in multidrug resistance has been established, but central problems of its biochemistry have not been definitively resolved. Recently, major advances have been made in P-glycoprotein biochemistry with the use of purified and reconstituted P-glycoprotein, as well as membranes from nonmammalian cells containing heterologously expressed P-glycoprotein. In this review we describe recent findings using these systems which are elucidating the molecular mechanism of P-glycoprotein-mediated drug transport.     

铜绿假单胞菌多重耐药基因的筛选及鉴定

[目的]研究铜绿假单胞菌中与耐药性相关的基因.[方法]筛选转座突变体文库中对多种抗菌药物敏感的突变体,通过随机PCR、核苷酸测序及序列比对确定突变体中转座子的插入位点及其破坏的基因.[结果]筛选得到2株对多种抗菌药物敏感的突变体,其中被破坏的基因分别为功能未知的新基因PA2580和PA2800.[结论]PA2580和PA2800可能分别通过参与细胞氧化还原作用和细胞壁合成进而与铜绿假单胞菌耐药性相关.     

Fungicide Resistance Phenotypes of Botrytis cinerea Isolates from Commercial Vineyards in South West Germany

Fungicide resistance frequencies of Botrytis cinerea populations in the German Wine Road region were determined for 4 years. Strains showing specific resistance against carbendazim, iprodione or fenhexamid were found to occur wide‐spread, but at low frequencies. In contrast, cyprodinil resistance increased from 5.4% in 2006 to 21.9% in 2008 and 16% in 2009, and strains resistant to boscalid increased from 2% in 2006 to 26.7% in 2009. Strains with multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotypes were found at high frequencies. One of the three MDR phenotypes, MDR1, with reduced sensitivity to cyprodinil and fludioxonil, was dominating, representing 19% to 35% of the total population. Strains with a combination of cyprodinil resistance and MDR1 were found to be strongly increasing in 2008 and 2009.     

Ubiquity and diversity of multidrug resistance genes in Lactococcus lactis strains isolated between 1936 and 1995

The presence and the nucleotide sequence of four multidrug resistance genes, lmrA, lmrP, lmrC, and lmrD, were investigated in 13 strains of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, four strains of Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris, two strains of Lactococcus plantarum, and two strains of Lactococcus raffinolactis. Multidrug resistance genes were present in all L. lactis isolates tested. However, none of them could be detected in the strains belonging to the species L. raffinolactis and L. plantarum, suggesting a different set of multidrug resistance genes in these species. The analysis of the four deduced amino acid sequences established two different variants depending on the subspecies of L. lactis. Either lmrA, or lmrP, or both were found naturally disrupted in five strains, while full-length lmrD was present in all strains.     

Vba4p,a vacuolar membrane protein,is involved in the drug resistance and vacuolar morphology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the vacuolar basic amino acid (VBA) transporter family of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, VBA4 encodes a vacuolar membrane protein with 14 putative transmembrane helices. Transport experiments with isolated vacuolar membrane vesicles and estimation of the amino acid contents in vacuoles showed that Vba4p is not likely involved in the transport of amino acids. We found that the vba4Δ cells, as well as vba1Δ and vba2Δ cells, showed increased susceptibility to several drugs, particularly to azoles. Although disruption of the VBA4 gene did not affect the salt tolerance of the cells, vacuolar fragmentation observed under high salt conditions was less prominent in vba4Δ cells than in wild type, vba1Δ, and vba2Δ cells. Vba4p differs from Vba1p and Vba2p as a vacuolar transporter but is important for the drug resistance and vacuolar morphology of S. cerevisiae.     

Structures of multidrug and toxic compound extrusion transporters and their mechanistic implications

Multidrug resistance poses grand challenges to the effective treatment of infectious diseases and cancers. Integral membrane proteins from the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family contribute to multidrug resistance by exporting a wide variety of therapeutic drugs across cell membranes. MATE proteins are conserved from bacteria to humans and can be categorized into the NorM, DinF and eukaryotic subfamilies. MATE transporters hold great appeal as potential therapeutic targets for curbing multidrug resistance, yet their transport mechanism remains elusive. During the past 5 years, X-ray structures of 4 NorM and DinF transporters have been reported and guided biochemical studies to reveal how MATE transporters extrude different drugs. Such advances, although substantial, have yet to be discussed collectively. Herein I review these structures and the unprecedented mechanistic insights that have been garnered from those structure-inspired studies, as well as lay out the outstanding questions that present exciting opportunities for future work.     

Genetic variation in ABCB5 associates with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

Expression of ATP‐binding cassette B5 (ABCB5) has been demonstrated to confer chemoresistance, enhance cancer stem cell properties and associate with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic variations of ABCB5 in HCC patients with reference to healthy individuals and the clinicopathological significance. A pilot study has examined 20 out of 300 pairs HCC and paralleled blood samples using conventional sequencing method to cover all exons and exon/intron regions to investigate whether there will be novel variant sequence and mutation event. A total of 300 HCC and 300 healthy blood DNA samples were then examined by Sequenom MassARRAY genotyping and pyrosequencing for 38 SNP and 1 INDEL in ABCB5. Five novel SNPs were identified in ABCB5. Comparison of DNA from blood samples of HCC and healthy demonstrated that ABCB5 SNPs rs75494098, rs4721940 and rs10254317 were associated with HCC risk. Specific ABCB5 variants were associated with aggressive HCC features. SNP rs17143212 was significantly associated with ABCB5 expression level. Nonetheless, the paralleled blood and tumour DNA sequences from HCC patients indicated that ABCB5 mutation in tumours was not common and corroborated the TCGA data sets. In conclusion, ABCB5 genetic variants had significant association with HCC risk and aggressive tumour properties.     

An in vitro testing of chemoresistance in leukaemic patients

The fact that leukaemic cells are primarily or secondarily resistant to cytostatics is a serious phenomenon, which leads to the failure of chemotherapy of malignant diseases in clinical practise. Some detoxification and transporting systems are responsible for the generation of chemoresistance on the cellular level and the decrease of effectiveness in treatment. In vitro testing of chemoresistance of leukaemic cells is presently an inseparable component of “tailoring” therapy in the developing field of predictive oncology. The aim of this work was to estimate profiles of drug resistance, based on the predictive in vitro test, and to help in choosing the most effective cytostatic. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazoline (MTT) assay was used, based on the direct effect of cytostatics on the viability of leukaemic cells in vitro. The number of living leukaemic cells was evaluated by a computer program, where LC₅₀ (concentration of cytostatics lethal to 50% of leukaemic cells) was established from the achieved dose-relation curves. Seventy-one samples of leukaemic cells isolated from the patients’ peripheral blood or bone marrow were examined. All samples were tested to 3 cytostatics minimally. It was found by the in vitro assay, that resistance to dexamethasone, prednisolone, etoposide and vincristine is increased in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia disease, compared to the acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients. In patients with a relapsed disease population, leukaemic cells are highly heterogeneous in the MTT assay. It was concluded that the MTT assay can be used to study drug interactions in vitro in leukaemia samples. The type of interaction was highly different between patients, and depended on drug concentrations.     

Structural Basis of H+-Dependent Conformational Change in a Bacterial MATE Transporter

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结核杆菌的药物外排泵

外排泵基因过度表达促使细胞内的药物转移到细胞外,胞内药物浓度下降,致使药物临床疗效降低或无效。外排泵上有多个与识别底物结构无关的阴离子凹穴(底物结合位点),通过静电引力非特异性结合各种含阳离子的药物,在能量协助下将药物排到细胞外,进而导致细菌抗药性的产生。研究表明,结核杆菌基因组中存在外排泵基因,但仅分离到几个有功效的外排泵。本文就相关研究进展进行综述。     

逆转肿瘤多药耐药策略进展

多药耐药MDR是肿瘤治疗的一大障碍 ,本文简述了MDR的可能机制与逆转克服策略及开发临床可应用的低毒有效逆转剂的新方向     

Prolonged Weightlessness Affects Promyelocytic Multidrug Resistance

An immortalized promyelocytic cell line was studied to detect how doxorubicin uptake is affected by microgravity. The purpose of this experiment was to identify the effect that microgravity may have on multidrug resistance in leukocytes. HL60 cells and HL60 cells resistant to anthracycline (HL60/AR) were grown in RPMI and 10% FBS. Upon reaching orbit in the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the cells were robotically mixed with doxorubicin. Three days after mixing, cells were fixed with paraformaldehyde/glutaraldehyde. Ground control experiments were conducted concurrently using a robot identical to the one used on the Shuttle. Fixed cells were analyzed within 2 weeks of launch. Confocal micrographs identified changes in cell structure (transmittance), drug distribution (fluorescence), and microtubule polymerization (fluorescence). Flight cells showed a lack of cytoskeletal polymerization resulting in an overall amorphic globular shape. Doxorubicin distribution in ground cells included a large numbers of vesicles relative to flight cells. There was a greater amount of doxorubicin present in flight cells (85% ± 9.7) than in ground control cells (43% ± 26) as determined by image analysis. Differences in microtubule formation between flight cells and ground cells could be partially responsible for the differences in drug distribution. Cytoskeletal interactions are critical to the function ofP-glycoprotein as a drug efflux pump responsible for multidrug resistance.     

Chemotherapy-induced cell death in primary cerebellar granule neurons but not in astrocytes: in vitro paradigm of differential neurotoxicity

The nervous system is frequently the site of symptomatic toxicity of antineoplastic agents. However, there is limited information about the differential vulnerability of neurons, astrocytes and glioma cells. We have analyzed the effects of four chemotherapeutic drugs (lomustine, cisplatin, topotecan and vincristine) on primary cerebellar granule neurons and astrocytes derived from rats. All drugs led to cell death in cerebellar granule neurons in a concentration-dependent manner. Comparison of the EC50 values for cerebellar neurons and astrocytes with the median EC50 values of 12 malignant glioma cell lines demonstrated a large therapeutic range for lomustin and cisplatin. Further, this comparison revealed a 100-fold higher sensitivity of cerebellar neurons towards vincristine and 10-fold higher sensitivity towards topotecan compared with glioma cells. Astrocytes were generally resistant to vincristine. In cerebellar granule neurons, vincristine and to a lesser extent topotecan induced caspase 3 and caspase 9 cleavage, and enhanced caspase activity and Akt-dependent expression of phosphorylated BAD. zVAD-fmk, a caspase inhibitor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but not MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, significantly reduced vincristine- or topotecan-induced cell death.