Immunotoxins to a human melanoma-associated antigen: resistance to pokeweed antiviral protein conjugates in vitro

Pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) from the summer leaves of Phytolacca americana was purified and conjugated via N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate to 9.2.27 anti-melanoma antibody to a glycoprotein-proteoglycan complex. The conjugate was highly potent (50% inhibition dose of 5 X 10(-11)-10(-13) M on antigen-positive melanoma) and highly selective (5 X 10(-8) on antigen-negative melanoma). Human melanoma cells were selected for resistance to in vitro killing of the PAP conjugate by cycling through a killing and recovery sequence. Resultant cultures were shown to be more than 2 logs less sensitive to the killing of the PAP conjugate than untreated cultures. Isolation of clones by limiting dilution and reanalysis indicated that the resistant polyclonal culture contained clones with a range of sensitivities. Resistant cultures were also resistant to other A-chain conjugates of 9.2.27, but not to intact toxins like ricin and abrin. Resistant cultures showed no change in antigen expression after selection with the PAP conjugate of 9.2.27. Thus, just as with many other chemotherapeutic agents, tumor cells can become resistant to agents inhibiting protein synthesis even when targeted with monoclonal antibody. The mechanisms of this resistance and modalities to minimize resistance are currently being explored.