New and Old Genes Associated with Primary and Established Responses to Paclitaxel Treatment in Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Development of drug resistance is the main reason for low chemotherapy effectiveness in treating ovarian cancer. Paclitaxel (PAC) is a chemotherapeutic drug used in the treatment of this cancer. We analysed the development of PAC resistance in two ovarian cancer cell lines. Exposure of drug-sensitive cell lines (A2780 and W1) to PAC was used to determine the primary response. An established response was determined in PAC-resistant sublines of the A2780 and W1 cell lines. qRT-PCR was performed to measure the expression levels of specific genes. We observed decreased expression of the <i>PCDH9</i>, <i>NSBP1, MCTP1</i> and <i>SEMA3A</i> genes in the PAC-resistant cell lines. Short-term exposure to PAC led to increased expression of the <i>MDR1</i> and <i>BCRP</i> genes in the A2780 and W1 cell lines. In the A2780 cell line, we also observed increased expression of the <i>C4orf18</i> gene and decreased expression of the <i>PCDH9</i> and <i>SEMA3A</i> genes after PAC treatment. In the W1 cell line, short-term treatment with PAC upregulated the expression of the <i>ALDH1A1</i> gene, a marker of Cancer stem cells (CSCs). Our results suggest that downregulation of the <i>PCDH9</i>, <i>NSBP1</i>, <i>MCTP1</i> and <i>SEMA3A</i> genes and upregulation of the <i>MDR1, BCRP, C4orf18</i> and <i>ALDH1A1</i> genes may be related to PAC resistance.