Expression analysis of protein kinase C isozymes and multidrug resistance associated genes in ovarian cancer cells.

We recently demonstrated a correlation between the expression levels of the PKC eta isozyme and the MDR1 or MRP genes in blasts from AML patients, and in primary breast cancers. In order to extend these findings we analysed ovarian cancer cells from 14 ascites aspirates from 8 patients using a cDNA-PCR approach. 5 patients were examined in follow up studies. 4 out of these 5 patients received continuous chemotherapy. The relative increases in MDR1, MRP, LRP or PKC eta mRNA expression levels were monitored. In one of these patients combined significant increase in MDR1, MRP, LRP and PKC was seen. One follow up sample was obtained after chemotherapy was discontinued. In this case significant relative decreases of MDR1, LRP and PKC eta mRNA expression levels were found. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was determined for the relative mRNA expression levels of MRP and PKC eta. These results point to a multifactorial emergence of MDR in this type of tumor with a possible involvement of the PKC eta isozyme.

Multiple gene expression analysis reveals distinct differences between G2 and G3 stage breast cancers, and correlations of PKC eta with MDR1, MRP and LRP gene expression.

A possible link between protein kinase C (PKC) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated-multidrug resistance (MDR) was assumed from studies on MDR cell lines selected in vitro. The functional relevance of PKC for the MDR phenotype remains unclear, and the involvement of a particular PKC isozyme in clinically occurring drug resistance is not known. Recently, we have demonstrated significant correlations between the expression levels of the PKC eta isozyme and the MDR1 or MRP (multidrug resistance-associated protein) genes in blasts from patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) and in ascites cell aspirates from ovarian cancer patients. To extend these findings to further types of human tumours we analysed specimens from 64 patients with primary breast cancer for their individual expression levels of several MDR-associated genes (MDR1, MRP, LRP (lung cancer resistance-related protein), topoisomerase (Topo) II alpha/IIbeta, cyclin A and the PKC isozyme genes (alpha, beta1, beta2, eta, theta, and mu) by a cDNA-PCR approach. We found significantly enhanced mean values for MRP, LRP and PKC eta gene expression, but significantly decreased Topo II alpha and cyclin A gene expression levels in G2 tumours compared with G3. Remarkably, significant positive correlations between the MDR1, MRP or LRP gene expression levels and PKC eta were determined: MDR1/PKC eta (rs = +0.6451, P < 0.0001) n = 62; MRP/PKC eta (rs = +0.5454, P < 0.0001) n = 63; LRP/PKC eta (rs = +0.5436, P < 0.0001) n = 62; MRP/LRP (rs = +0.7703, P < 0.0001) and n = 62, MDR1/MRP (rs = +0.5042, P < 0.0001) n = 62. Our findings point to the occurrence of a multifactorial MDR in the clinics and to PKC eta as a possible key regulatory factor for up-regulation of a series of MDR-associated genes in different types of tumours.