J Korean Med Sci.  1998 Dec;13(6):617-622. 10.3346/jkms.1998.13.6.617.

Multi-drug resistance (MDR1) gene expression in de novo acute leukemia cells: correlations with CD surface markers and treatment outcome

• Jiang EZ
• Chang YJ
• Lee JW
• Lee WK
• Kim JS
• Sohn SK
• Lee KB
• Suh JS

• KMID: 1038442
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.1998.13.6.617

Abstract

One important mechanism of drug resistance in acute leukemia is the overexpression of the multi-drug resistance (MDR1) gene that encodes a 170-kDa membrane protein called P-glycoprotein. To estimate the incidence and role of MDR1 gene expression in patients with acute leukemia, we investigated the expression of MDR1 by using the RT-PCR method in blast cells from 40 cases of de novo acute leukemia. We found a high frequency of MDR1 gene expression: 10 out of 20 with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 8 out of 17 with de novo acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and none of the 3 with de novo acute mixed leukemia, were MDR1 mRNA-positive. No correlation between cluster designation (CD) surface markers (CD19, CD7, CD13, CD33, CD34, CD14, HLA-DR) and MDR1 gene expression in AML was found. The complete remission rate was correlated with MDR1 gene expression. Among 40 evaluable patients examined, 17% (3 of 18) with MDR1 mRNA-positive reached complete remission versus 77% (17 of 22) with MDR1 mRNA-negative (p=0.044). These results suggest that MDR1 gene expression can be used as a prognostic factor and may be helpful in determining chemotherapeutic protocol for patients with acute leukemia.

MeSH Terms

Acute Disease
Adolescence
Adult
Aged
Antigens, CD/biosynthesis*
Child
Child, Preschool
Drug Resistance, Multiple/genetics
Female
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
Genes, MDR*
Human
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/metabolism*
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/genetics
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/drug therapy*
Leukemia, Myeloid/metabolism*
Leukemia, Myeloid/genetics
Leukemia, Myeloid/drug therapy*
Male
Middle Age
P-Glycoprotein/genetics
P-Glycoprotein/biosynthesis*
Treatment Outcome
Tumor Cells, Cultured