Cell surface P-glycoprotein associated with multidrug resistance in mammalian cell lines

Abstract

The plasma membranes of hamster, mouse, and human tumor cell lines that display multiple resistance to drugs were examined by gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. In every case, increased expression of a 170,000-dalton surface antigen was found to be correlated with multidrug resistance. This membrane component is of identical molecular size and shares some immunogenic homology with the previously characterized P-glycoprotein of colchicine-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cells. This finding may have application to cancer therapy.