Methylation of SFRP5 is related to multidrug resistance in leukemia cells

Methylation of secreted frizzle-related protein (SFRP) genes activates Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and promotes tumor development. This study investigated whether SFRP5 gene methylation causes multidrug resistance (MDR) in leukemia through the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, leading to the upregulation of the mdr1 gene and its product, P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Methylation-specific PCR identified SFRP5 gene methylation in cultured bone mononuclear cells from 7/12 patients with acute leukemia and in four human leukemia cell lines (HL-60, Raji, U937 and KG1a). Western blotting revealed absent SFRP5 protein expression in cells from 5/7 patients with SFRP5 gene methylation and in all cell lines. Treatment with a demethylation agent (DAC) rescued SFRP5 expression. mdr1 mRNA and P-gp protein were detected in cells from 3/5 patients with absent SFRP5, and in the KG1a cell line; these cells also had the highest levels of activated ß-catenin. In cells from these three patients, DAC rescued SFRP5 expression and downregulated mdr1 and P-gp. SFRP5 protein expression was rescued in transgenic KG1a/SFRP5 cells, compared with KG1a/eGFP or untransfected KG1a cells. mdr1 and P-gp in KG1a/SFRP5 cells were downregulated. Doxorubicin IC50 values were significantly lower in KG1a/SFRP5 (0.573±0.131 μM) than in KG1a (0.963±0.115) or KG1a/eGFP (0.917±0.138) cells (P<0.05). We conclude that SFRP5 gene methylation in leukemia cells activates Wnt/ß-catenin signaling to upregulate mdr1/P-gp expression and cause MDR. Recovery of SFRP5 expression reversed MDR in the KG1a leukemia cell line. Our results suggest that modulating SFRP5 methylation could decrease MDR in leukemia patients.