MCF7 LCC9 - AN ANTIESTROGEN-RESISTANT MCF-7 VARIANT IN WHICH ACQUIRED-RESISTANCE TO THE STEROIDAL ANTIESTROGEN ICI-182,780 CONFERS AN EARLYCROSS-RESISTANCE TO THE NONSTEROIDAL ANTIESTROGEN TAMOXIFEN/
N. Brunner et al., MCF7 LCC9 - AN ANTIESTROGEN-RESISTANT MCF-7 VARIANT IN WHICH ACQUIRED-RESISTANCE TO THE STEROIDAL ANTIESTROGEN ICI-182,780 CONFERS AN EARLYCROSS-RESISTANCE TO THE NONSTEROIDAL ANTIESTROGEN TAMOXIFEN/, Cancer research, 57(16), 1997, pp. 3486-3493
Acquired resistance to antiestrogens is a major problem in the clinica
l management of initially endocrine responsive metastatic breast cance
r, We have shown previously that estrogen-independent and -responsive
MCF7/LCC1 human breast cancer cells selected for resistance to the tri
phenylethylene tamoxifen produce a variant (MCF7/LCC2) that retains se
nsitivity to the steroidal antiestrogen ICI 182,780 (N. Brunner et al.
, Cancer Res., 53: 3229-3232, 1993), We have now applied stepwise sele
ctions in vitro from 10 pM to 1 mu M ICI 182,780 against MCF7/LCC1 and
obtained a stable ICI 182,780-resistant variant designated MCF7/LCC9.
In contrast to 4-hydroxytamoxifen-selected MCF7/LCC2 cells, MCF7/LCC9
cells exhibit full cross-resistance to tamoxifen, despite never havin
g been exposed to this drug. Significantly, tamoxifen cross-resistance
arose early in the selection, appearing following selection against o
nly 0.1 nM ICI 182,780, Although limited resistance to ICI 182,780 als
o was observed, full ICI 182,780 resistance was not detected until the
selective pressure increased to 100 nM ICI 182,780, Cross-resistance
to tamoxifen persisted. throughout these additional selections, Despit
e their antiestrogen cross-resistance, MCF7/LCC9 cells retain a level
of estrogen receptor expression comparable to that of their parental M
CF7/LCC1 cells. Whereas MCF7/LCC1 cells retain an estrogen-inducible e
xpression of progesterone receptors, MCF7/LCC9 cells exhibit an up-reg
ulated expression of both progesterone receptor mRNA and protein that
is no longer estrogen responsive, Estrogen-independent and -responsive
components of the MCF7/LCC9 phenotype are appal eat in vivo, These ce
lls form slowly growing tumors in ovariectomized athymic nude mice but
respond mitogenically upon estrogenic supplementation. The in vivo gr
owth of MCF7/LCC9 tumors is not affected by treatment with ICI 182,780
. Although there is some evidence of tamoxifen stimulation of tumor gr
owth, this did not reach statistical significance, If this pattern of
cross-resistance occurs in some breast cancer patients, administering
triphenylethylene antiestrogens as a first-line therapy with a cross-o
ver to steroidal compounds upon recurrence mag be advantageous.