The role of xenobiotic glucuronidating enzymes in drug resistance of tumour tissues and cells

Abstract

Xenobiotic and endobiotic glucuronidation is regulated by many cellular features such as (a) access of substrates to a family of microsomal enzymes, the UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UDPGTs) and (b) mechanisms of transport and excretion of glucuronides from the cell. We have isolated molecular biological probes identifying human UDPGTs to facilitate the examination of mechanisms regulating the functional expression of UDPGTs during natural development, in genetic diseases and in cancer cells. UDPGTs are encoded by a multigene family. Seven rat and four human UDPGT cDNAs have been cloned and expressed in cell culture to determine their substrate specificity and ability to glucuronidate xenobiotics. Analysis of the amino acid sequences of cloned UDPGTs has provided information about their method of synthesis and topological orientation with the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The location of hepatic UDPGT raises interesting questions about the role of possible transporters essential for functional glucuronidation. Measurement of the UDPGT activities and UDPGT mRNA in carcinoma tissue and in hepatic nodules from rats suggest that increases in the level of a phenol-UDPGT may contribute to drug resistance in cancer. Human UDPGTs stably expressed in cell lines have been used to study the glucuronidation of carcinogens and anticancer drugs. Human phenol UDPGT will catalyse the glucuronidation of carcinogens. The high levels of expression of human phenol UDPGT in tissue culture cells could also lead to an increased resistance to xenobiotic toxicity caused by mitoxantrone, mitomycin C, and adriamycin. This molecular cell biology approach is being used to further assess the glucuronidation and effective toxicity of anticancer drugs.