Circumventing multidrug resistance in cancer by beta-galactoside binding protein, an antiproliferative cytokine.

We report here that beta-galactoside binding protein (betaGBP), an antiproliferative cytokine which can program cancer cells to undergo apoptosis, exhibits equal therapeutic efficacy against cancer cells that display diverse mechanisms of drug resistance and against their parental cells. The mechanisms of drug resistance in the cancer cells that we have examined include overexpression of P-glycoprotein, increased efficiency of DNA repair, and altered expression and mutation in the topoisomerase I and II enzymes. We also report that betaGBP exerted its effect by arresting the cells in S phase prior to the activation of programmed cell death. The uniquely similar profile of response to betaGBP by these drug-resistant cells and their parental cells extends the therapeutic potential of this cytokine in the treatment of cancers and offers a promising alternative to patients whose tumors are refractory to the currently available cadre of chemotherapeutic agents.