Heat map showing the expression of all the significant genes analyzed using the Illumina bead array (845 genes)
Heat map showing the expression of all the significant genes analyzed using the Illumina bead array (845 genes). pathways that may be important in each drug resistance phenotype. == Results == A total of 845 genes (p < 0.01) were found altered in at least one drug resistance phenotype when compared to the parental, drug sensitive cell line. Focusing on each resistance phenotype individually, we identified 460, 366, and 337 genes significantly altered in cells resistant to cisplatin, doxorubicin, and paclitaxel, respectively. Of the 845 genes found altered, only 62 genes were simultaneously altered in all three resistance phenotypes. Using pathway analysis, we found many pathways enriched for each resistance phenotype, but some dominant pathways emerged. The dominant pathways included signaling from the cell surface and cell movement for cisplatin resistance, proteasome regulation and steroid biosynthesis for doxorubicin resistance, and control of translation and oxidative stress for BRD7552 paclitaxel resistance. == Conclusions == Ovarian cancer cells develop drug resistance through different pathways depending on the drug used in the generation of chemoresistance. A better understanding of BAM these mechanisms may lead to the development of novel strategies to circumvent the problem of drug resistance. == Background == In the United States, ovarian cancer represents 3% of all the new cancer cases in women, but accounts for 5% of all the cancer deaths [1]. This discrepancy is due, in part, to the common resistance of ovarian cancer to current chemotherapy regimens. The vast majority of ovarian cancer patients with advanced disease are treated with surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of a platinum agent (typically carboplatin) in combination with a taxane (paclitaxel). Unfortunately, while most patients initially respond to this combination chemotherapy, a majority of the patients (up to 75%) will eventually relapse within 18 months, many with drug resistant disease [2]. The optimal management of patients with recurrent tumors is usually unclear, especially for drug resistant disease (by definition, a recurrence that has occurred within 6 months of initial treatment), and various studies have suggested different second line chemotherapy approaches, all with limited success [3]. Ultimately, the frequent development of drug resistance and the lack of alternatives for the treatment of drug resistant disease are responsible for a 5-12 months survival of approximately 30% in ovarian cancer patients with advanced BRD7552 disease. Indeed, 90% of the deaths from ovarian cancer can be attributed to drug resistance [4]. Studies BRD7552 have shown that ovarian cancer resistance is multifactorial and may involve increased drug inactivation/efflux, increased DNA repair, alterations in cell cycle control, and changes in apoptotic threshold. For example, the copper transporter CTR1 has been shown to mediate cisplatin uptake and cells with decreased CTR1 exhibit increased resistance to cisplatin [5,6]. Another pathway, the PTEN-PI3K-AKT axis, has been suggested to play an important role in the development of drug resistance in several malignancies [7], including ovarian cancer [8-10]. Overall, these studies indicate that a better understanding of the mechanisms of drug action and drug resistance may ultimately lead to new approaches for circumventing resistance and improve patient survival. However, in spite of recent advances, the exact pathways important for the development of drug resistance in ovarian cancer remain unclear. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to drug resistance may provide new opportunities for the development of strategies for reversing or circumventing drug BRD7552 resistance [4,11]. In this manuscript, we generate novel drug resistant ovarian cancer cell lines independently selected for resistance to cisplatin, doxorubicin or paclitaxel, and we use gene expression profiling to identify genes and pathways that may be important to the development of drug resistance in ovarian cancer. == Methods == == Cell line and generation of drug resistance sub-lines == The ovarian cancer cell line OV90 was obtained from The American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and produced in MCDB 105 (Sigma-Aldrich):Media 199 (Invitrogen) made up of 15% bovine serum and antibiotics (100 models/ml penicillin and 100 g/ml streptomycin) at 37C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2. The chemotherapeutic drugs cisplatin, doxorubicin, and paclitaxel.
