The expression of P-glycoprotein in leukemia cells is associated with the upregulated expression of nestin, a class 6 filament protein

Coculova M, et al., analyzed whether there was a correlation between the expression of P-glycoprotein and the expression of nestin in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) cell lines (SKM-1 and MOLM-13). The study is of interest as the findings could further elucidate the mechanisms by which Multidrug Resistance (MDR) occurs during chemotherapy treatment. The data were published in Leukemia Research in July 2016.

The key findings were:

• Co-expression of P-glycoprotein and nestin in AML cell lines was detected
• Silencing the P-glycoprotein induced the downregulation of nestin
• Nestin expression in L1210 cells transfected with P-glycoprotein gene was observed

In conclusion, a causal relationship was observed between expression of P-glycoprotein and the expression of nestin in AML cell lines. This data suggests that the targeting of the P-glycoprotein could provide a mode of preventing multiple drug resistance to chemotherapy agents used to treat leukemia.

The expression of P-glycoprotein in leukemia cells is associated with the upregulated expression of nestin, a class 6 filament protein.