Expression of human NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase (DT-diaphorase) in Chinese hamster ovary cells: effect on the toxicity of antitumor quinones.

Previous studies have indicated that NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase [DT-diaphorase (NQO1)] plays an important role in the bioreductive activation of quinone-containing antitumor agents. Although these studies demonstrated that purified NQO1 can reduce these compounds in vitro, the importance of NQO1 in the intracellular activation of quinone-containing antitumor agents remains controversial. In our study, we transfected human NQO1 into Chinese hamster ovary cells that do not normally express NQO1 activity and obtained stable clones that expressed NQO1 activity of 19-3527 nmol of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol reduced/min/mg of protein. The level of NQO1 expression correlated with an increased killing by streptonigrin, EO9 (3-hydroxymethyl-5-aziridinyl-1-methyl-2-(1H-indole-4,7-dione)-propen ol), and 2,5-diaziridinyl-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone, but mitomycin C sensitivity was independent of this activity. NQO1 expression also led to a slight decrease in the sensitivity of cells to menadione. Our data demonstrate that compounds that are efficient substrates for NQO1 in vitro are also bioactivated in cultured mammalian cells when they are transfected with human NQO1. These results are consistent with the relative abilities of mitomycin C, streptonigrin, EO9, and 2,5-diaziridinyl-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone to serve as substrates for bioreduction by human NQO1, and show that NQO1 levels are not necessarily predictive in terms of sensitivity to mitomycin C.