A new PCR MIMIC strategy to quantify low mdr1 mRNA levels in drug resistant cell lines and AML blast samples

Determination of the MDR-phenotype in patients suffering from AML is an important hallmark of treatment outcome but is often complicated by technical problems in P-gp assessment. A PCR-MIMIC strategy was employed to construct PCR-fragments for a competitive and quantitative mdrl reverse transcription-PCR-assay. Using K562 cells, which had been selected for drug resistance to the epipodophyllotoxin VP16, a stepwise increase of mdrl levels depending on the concentration of VP 16 was shown with the MIMIC technique. Comparison of mdrl levels in drug selected K562 cells with the corresponding levels for P-gp and functional data indicated a mRNA threshold that has to be exceeded for the full expression of the MDR-phenotype. Subsequently mdrl levels of 34 samples of de novo acute myeloid leukemia were determined with the PCR-MIMIC strategy. Ten patient samples could be identified with elevated mdrl levels which were substantially lower than the levels observed in the MDR-cell line K 562 0.7 mu M VP16. Outcome analysis revealed that eight of the ten patients had an unfavourable prognosis and did not achieve CR after induction chemotherapy. Coexpression of mdrl and CD 34 was not associated with CR in all examined cases. Moreover all these patients had unfavourable cytogenetic aberrations. These data indicate a sensitive technique with applicability in patient material. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.