Mechanism of cell death in drug resistant human breast cancer cells.

Anticancer drug resistance occurs as a result of altered response to cytotoxic insult, via inhibition or inactivation of apoptosis (programmed cell death type I, PCDI), which plays a major role in tumour development and progression. An alternative form of cell death - non-apoptotic, or autophagic cell death (PCD II) has recently emerged as a factor contributing to the cytotoxic response of cancer cells. We studied in vitro cell death in a drug resistant model MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with acquired resistance (c. 10- 20 fold) to paclitaxel, termed MCF-7TaxR. It has been reported that the absence of caspase-3 in parental MCF-7 cells (due to chromosome deletion) may explain why they recruit apoptotic and autophagic cell death following cytotoxic insult. We investigated the induction of apoptosis response to staurosporine and Z-VAD (pan-caspase inhibitor) using the Annexin V-FITC/PI assay and studied the effect of anti-Fas on MCF-7TaxR. Results demonstrated the lack of apoptosis induction in paclitaxel resistant breast cancer cells. The oligo GEAiTayRTM human apoptosis microarray and qPCR analysis confirmed the absence of caspase-7 and caspase-9 genes and many other apoptosis genes in MCF-7TaxR cells and their presence in MCF-7 cells. Western blot analysis also confirmed these results. Therefore, we investigated the presence of autophagic cell death in our MCF-7TaxR model. Flow cytometry using Acridine Orange assay, Beclin 1 and LC-3 protein detection, confocal microscopy and detection of Akt/mTOR expression. Data showed evidence of autophagic cell death in MCF-7TaxR cells in the absence of an apoptotic response. Collectively, these findings indicate the lack of involvement of caspase mediated cell death in a paclitaxel drug-resistant cancer cell line MCF-7TaxR, and presence of autophagic cell death as an alternative cell death mechanism.