High Expression of MDR1 and BCRP1 in Leukemic Stem Cells Correlates with Reversible Drug Resistance Ex Vivo and Predicts Failure of Remission Induction Chemotherapy in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Although overexpression of members of the ATP-Binding-Cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily has been implicated in chemotherapy failure in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in some studies, results have been conflicting. Previously we found no consistent difference in pre-treatment ABC transporter expression when comparing total blasts of 18 patients achieving complete remission (CR) and 13 patients who were refractory to induction chemotherapy (NR). However, among the CD34⁺CD38⁻ AML cells (enriched for candidate “leukemic stem cells” which engraft in immunodeficient mice), as assessed by quantitative RT-PCR, elevated expression of MDR1 and/or BCRP1, two ABC transporters associated with drug resistance, was found in 8/10 NR patients as compared to 0/7 CR patients. No difference between CR and NR samples was observed in the more differentiated CD34⁺CD38⁺ or CD34⁻ AML cells while none of the subpopulations showed a significant difference in MRP1 expression between CR and NR patient samples. To determine if this difference in gene expression was associated with altered functional activity of MDR1/BCRP1, the relative sensitivity of subpopulations of AML cells to induction of apoptosis following ex vivo treatment with daunorubicin with or without ABC inhibitors (PSC-833 and Verapamil) was assessed. All subpopulations of AML cells isolated from 2 CR patients showed similar drug sensitivity profiles (IC₅₀ <0.04 μg/ml). In contrast, CD34⁺CD38⁻ cells from 6 NR patients were more resistant to daunorubicin-induced apoptosis (p<0.05 for comparison of IC₅₀s between CR and NR samples). ABC transporter inhibition in CD34⁺CD38⁻ cells did not change daunorubicin sensitivity in CR samples, but increased drug sensitivity in a dose-dependent manner in NR samples, particularly in the CD34⁺CD38⁻ fraction. This suggests a role for ABC transporters in sustaining a population of chemotherapy resistant leukemic stem cells which may allow survival of the malignant clone in patients following induction therapy. If the value of measuring MDR1/BCRP1 expression among these cells in predicting chemotherapy outcome is confirmed in a larger patient population, it may be possible to use such analysis to modify therapy for individual AML patients to overcome drug resistance.