Up-regulation of lactosylceramide synthase in MDR1 overexpressing human liver tumour cells

HepG2 cells, stably transfected with MDR1 cDNA, encoding the P-glycoprotein multidrug resistance efflux pump, display an altered sphingolipid composition compared to control cells, stably transfected with empty vector. The MDR1 overexpressing cells display a ∼3-fold increased level of lactosylceramide and an increased ganglioside mass. Both the mRNA and the activity of lactosylceramide synthase were increased in HepG2/MDR1 cells. In conclusion, the increased glycolipid content in MDR1-transfected HepG2 cells is caused by a transcriptional up-regulation of the enzyme lactosylceramide synthase.