Overexpression of ZNRD1 promotes multidrug-resistant phenotype of gastric cancer cells through upregulation of P-glycoprotein

ZNRD1, a new zinc ribbon gene, has been previously identified as an upregulated gene in a multidrug-resistant gastric cancer cell line SGC7901/VCR comparing to its parental cell SGC7901 by subtractive hybridization and RT-PCR. The antisense nucleic acid for ZNRD1 could enhance adriamycin accumulation in SGC7901/VCR cells and sensitize SGC7901/VCR cells to vincristine. The present study aims to explore the role of ZNRD1 in multidrug resistance in gastric caner cells. Upregulation of ZNRD1 protein in SGC7901/VCR cells was confirmed by Western blot and immunocytochmical staining. ZNRD1 was genetically overexpressed in SGC7901 cells by gene transfection. It was found that overexpression of ZNRD1 could sensitize SGC7901 cells to P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-related anticancer drugs (vincristine, adriamycin, etoposide) but not to P-gp-nonrelated drugs (5-fluorouracil and cisplatin), which was accompanied with significantly decreased adriamycin accumulation and retention and increased adriamycin releasing in SGC7901 cells. Verapamil, an inhibitor for P-gp, could reverse the effects of ZNRD1 on drug sensitivity and drug accumulation in SGC7901 cells to a great extent. Western blot and Northern blot revealed that overexpression of ZNRD1 could upregulate P-gp at both protein and mRNA levels. Together, these results suggest that overexpression of ZNRD1 could promote multidrug-resistant phenotype of gastric cancer cells through upregulation of P-gp.