OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of exosome in mediating bortezomib (Btz) resistance in multiple myeloma cells and explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 15 patients with multiple myeloma with Btz tolerance, and serum exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation and identified with electron microscopy, NTA and Western blotting. cultured multiple myeloma cells were treated with gradient concentrations of Btz to determine the optimal drug concentration for subsequent experiment. The cells were pretreated with different concentrations of exosomes, and their sensitivity to BTZ was assessed using MTS assay. We searched the exosome database Exocarta and used STRING to generate the network map and the protein interaction graph. RESULTS: The diameters of the vesicles isolated from the peripheral blood of the patients were mostly below 200 nm with a mean particle size of 153 nm and a mode of 140.1 nm. The results of Western blotting showed that the isolated exosomes expressed the marker proteins CD63, Tsg101 and Alix. In cultured multiple myeloma cells, pretreatment with exosomes resulted in a decreased sensitivity of the cells to bortezomib, and longer treatment durations and higher exosome concentrations consistently enhanced the resistance of the cells to the same Btz concentration. Analysis of the Exocarta database identified human serum exosomal proteins ABCB1, ABCB4, PDCD6IP, and EGFR, among which EGFR served as a network node. CONCLUSIONS Exosome within a specific concentration range may serve as a signal carrier to mediate the resistance of multiple myeloma cells to Btz. EGFR likely plays a key role to promote exosome-mediated Btz resistance in myeloma cells.
Bortezomib ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Exosomes ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; Ultracentrifugation