Expression of c-fos in human and murine multidrug-resistant cells.

In both mouse sarcoma 180 and human KB cells selected for the multiple drug resistance (MDR) phenotype, there is an elevation in the steady state mRNA level of c-fos. There is no detectable gene amplification for c-fos, nor is there any significant change in the rate of mRNA transcription or degradation, suggesting that other factors are responsible for the increased expression level in resistance. Cells selected for resistance to methotrexate, a drug not in the MDR group, do not have an increase in c-fos mRNA expression. When drug-sensitive cells are exposed for 30 min to an ED50 concentration of vinblastine, Adriamycin, colchicine, or VP-16, but not to methotrexate or cisplatin, there is a 3-6-fold induction in the level of c-fos message. Because the former drugs are members of the MDR class and the latter are not, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that induction of c-fos by low levels of cytotoxic drugs may be an early event in the acquisition of the MDR phenotype. If this were the case, then c-fos would be expected to act in concert with c-jun to control transcription by binding to a specific DNA regulatory site. Consistent with this explanation is the existence of an AP-1 sequence in the promotor region for the P-glycoprotein gene (mdr1), as well as the fact that c-jun is also overexpressed in MDR cells.