REGULATION OF HSP60 MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION IN A HUMAN OVARIAN-CARCINOMA CELL-LINE

The expression of the 60-kDa heat-shock protein (HSP60) varies markedl y among patients with ovarian carcinoma, and high-level expression pre dicts poor survival in such patients treated with cisplatin (DDP)-cont aining chemotherapy programs. We investigated the expression of HSP60 in human ovarian carcinoma 2008 cells and an 11-fold DDP-resistant sub line 2008/C135.25. Heating for 2 h at 44-degrees-C produced a 2.7 +/- 0.16-fold increase (mean +/- SD) that was maximal at 4 h after the st art of heat exposure. Exposure to an IC50 concentration of DDP for 1 h induced a 1.8 +/- 0.03-fold increase in hsp60 expression. The opposit e was true for cadmium and zinc, both of which induced increases in me tallothionein II(A) but not in the hsp60 message. 2008/C135.25 cells constitutively overexpressed hsp60 mRNA by 1.7 +/- 0.16 orders of magn itude and contained a 3.8 +/- 0.45-fold higher level of HSP60 as detec ted by immunocytochemical staining. 2008/C135.25 cells showed 1.2-fol d cross-resistance to thermal killing. Expression of hsp60 was markedl y reduced in 2008 xenografts as compared with 2008 cells growing in vi tro; however, neither serum starvation nor refeeding altered the messa ge level. Exposure to a variety of growth factors and drug treatments known to alter the DDP sensitivity of 2008 cells, including epidermal growth factor, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, buthionine sulfox imine, ouabain, and forskolin, did not alter hsp60 expression. These r esults suggest a role for HSP60 in mediating resistance to both DDP an d hyperthermia but indicate that the hsp60 mRNA levels are not regulat ed by the factors listed above.