Effect of MUC1 siRNA on drug resistance of gastric cancer cells to trastuzumab.

Trastuzumab is the first molecular targeting drug to increase the overall survival rate in advanced gastric cancer. However, it has also been found that a high intrinsic or primary trastuzumab resistance exists in some proportion of gastric cancer patients. In order to explore the mechanism of resistance to trastuzumab, firstly we investigated the expression of MUC1 (membrane-type mucin 1) in gastric cancer cells and its relationship with drug-resistance. Then using gene-silencing, we transfected a siRNA of MUC1 into drug-resistant cells. The results showed the MKN45 gastric cell line to be resistant to trastuzumab, mRNA and protein expression of MUC1 being significantly upregulated. After transfection of MUC1 siRNA, protein expression of MUC1 in MKN45cells was significantly reduced. Compared with the junk transfection and blank control groups, the sensitivity to trastuzumab under MUC1 siRNA conditions was significantly increased. These results imply that HER2-positive gastric cancer cell MKN45 is resistant to trastuzumab and this resistance can be cancelled by silencing expression of the MUC1 gene.