P-Glycoprotein-independent Decrease in Drug Accumulation by Phorbol Ester Treatment of Tumor Cells

Pieter Wielinga, Marc Heijn, Henk J. Broxterman, Jan Lankelma

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The effect of a change in the phosphorylation state of the drug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on its drug transport activity was studied for the substrates daunorubicin (DNR), etoposide (VP-16), and calcein acetoxymethyl ester (Cal-AM). Phorbol ester (PMA), added to stimulate phosphorylation of P-gp by protein kinase C (PKC), caused a decrease in the cellular accumulation of DNR and VP-16, both in multidrug-resistant (MDR) P-gp-overexpressing cells and in wild-type cells. Since treatment of cells with kinase inhibitor staurosporine (ST) reversed this effect of PMA and the non-PKC-stimulating phorbol ester 4α-phorbol, 12,13-didecanoate (4αPDD) did not result in a decreased DNR accumulation, we conclude that this effect is the result of kinase activity. The concentration dependence of the inhibition of P-gp by verapamil (Vp) was not influenced by PMA. Accumulation of the P-gp substrate Cal-AM was not influenced by PMA in wild-type cells. Therefore, Cal-AM was used to study the effect of PMA-induced phosphorylation of P-gp on its transport activity. Activation of PKC with PMA or inhibition of protein phosphatase 12A (PP1/PP2A) with okadaic acid (OA) did not affect the accumulation of Cal-AM in the MDR cells or wild-type cells. The kinase inhibitor ST increased the Cal-AM accumulation only in the MDR cells. Neither stimulating PKC with PMA nor inhibiting PP1/PP2A with OA led to a decreased inhibition of P-gp by ST, indicating that ST inhibits P-gp directly. From these experiments, we conclude that PKC and PP1/PP2A activity do not regulate the drug transport activity of P-gp. However, these studies provide evidence that PMA-induced PKC activity decreases cellular drug accumulation in a P-gp-independent manner.
Original languageEnglish
JournalBiochemical Pharmacology
Volume54
Issue number7
Pages (from-to)791-799
ISSN0006-2952
Publication statusPublished - 1997
Externally publishedYes

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