Regrowth Resistance: Low-Level Platinum Resistance Mediated by Rapid Recovery from Platinum-Induced Cell-Cycle Arrest

Abstract

The H69CIS200 and H69OX400 cell lines are novel models of low-level platinum drug resistance developed from H69 human small cell lung cancer cells with eight 4-day treatments of 200 ng/ml cisplatin or 400 ng/ml oxaliplatin respectively. A recovery period was given between treatments to emulate the cycles of chemotherapy given in the clinic. The resistant cell lines were approximately 2-fold resistant to cisplatin and oxaliplatin and were cross resistant to both drugs. Platinum resistance was not associated with increased cellular glutathione, decreased accumulation of platinum or increased DNA repair capacity. The H69 platinum sensitive cells entered a lengthy 3 week growth arrest in response to low-level cisplatin or oxaliplatin treatment. This is an example of the coordinated response between the cell cycle and DNA repair. In contrast the H69CIS200 and H69OX400 cells have an alteration in the cell cycle allowing them to rapidly proliferate post drug treatment. The resistant cell lines also have many chromosomal rearrangements most of which are not associated with the resistant phenotype, suggesting an increase in genomic instability in the resistant cell lines. We hypothesised that there was a lack of coordination between the