Glutathione, glutathione S-transferases, and related redox enzymes in Adriamycin-resistant cell lines with a multidrug resistant phenotype.

Friend erythroleukemia cells (FLC) selected by exposure to Adriamycin (doxorubicin) express an approximate 2.5-fold (ARN1) or 13-fold (ARN2) resistance to the drug with various degrees of cross-resistance to other anthracyclines, vinca alkaloids, and epipodophyllotoxins. Because the redox cycling of the quinone moiety of Adriamycin is known to produce oxidative stress, however, an analysis of glutathione (GSH) and related enzyme systems was undertaken in the wild-type and selected resistant cells. In ARN1 and ARN2, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities were slightly decreased, intracellular GSH and GSH reductase were essentially unchanged, and total GSH peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase (GST), and DT-diaphorase activities were slightly elevated. In each case there was no stoichiometric relationship between degree of resistance and level of activity. GST isozymes were purified from each cell line by HPLC GSH affinity column chromatography. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and western blot immunoreactivity against a battery of GST isozyme polyclonal antibodies determined that both the resistant and sensitive cells expressed isozymes of the alpha, pi, and mu classes (alternative murine nomenclature: M1, M2, M3). Of significance, both ARN1 and ARN2 cell lines expressed a unique alpha subunit which was absent from the parent FLC cell line. This isozyme presumably accounted for the increased GSH peroxidase activity (cumene hydroperoxide as substrate) found in ARN1 and ARN2 and may play a role in the small incremental resistance to melphalan found for both resistant lines. Expression of the isozyme was not stoichiometric with respect to degree of resistance. The presence of this isozyme may contribute to the resistant phenotype or may be the consequence of a more general cellular response to oxidative stress.