Effects of Lewis Y antigen on the gene expression of multiple drug resistance-associated proteins in human ovarian cancer RMG-I-H cells

The effects of Lewis Y antigen on the gene expression of multiple drug resistance-associated proteins in human ovarian cancer RMG-I-H cells were unclear by now. In this study, we detected the gene expression of multiple drug resistance-associated proteins (MRP) in RMG-I-H cells and RMG-I-H cells treated with anti-Lewis Y monoclonal antibody to investigate the association between Lewis Y antigen and the gene expression of drug resistance-associated proteins. Compared with RMG-I cells, the expression of MRP1, MRP2, protein kinase C-α (PKC-α), and topoisomerase I (Topo I) mRNAs in RMG-I-H cells were significantly upregulated, while the MDR-1 mRNA was downregulated. Immunochemistry analyses indicated that the in vitro and in vivo expression levels of MDR-1 protein (P-gp) in RMG-I-H cells were significantly higher than those in RMG-I cells. After RMG-I-H cells were treated with anti-Lewis Y monoclonal antibody, the expression levels of MDR-1, MRP1, MRP2, PKC-α, and Topo I mRNAs gradually decreased with the prolongation of treatment duration. In contrast, no obvious changes were noted in the expression levels of these mRNAs in the non-treatment group. At 6 h after treatment, the relative levels of MDR-1, MRP1, MRP2, PKC-α, and Topo I mRNAs in the antibody treatment group were significantly lower than those in the non-treatment group. In conclusion, Lewis Y antigen is closely associated with regulating the gene expression of multiple drug resistance-associated proteins.