AIM: To investigate the specific mechanisms of intrinsic and acquired resistance to taxotere (TXT) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC).METHODS: MTT assay was used to detect the sensitivity of PAC cell line SUIT-2 and its sublines (S-007, S-013, S-020,S-028 and TXT selected SUIT-2 cell line, S2/TXT) to TXT.Mdr1 (P-gp), multidrug resistance associated protein (MRP), lung resistance protein (LRP) and β-tubulin isotype gene expressions were detected by RT-PCR. The functionality of P-gp and MRP was tested using their specific blocker verapamil ( Ver ) and indomethacin ( IMC ),respectively. The transporter activity of P-gp was also confirmed by Rhodamine 123 accumulation assay.RESULTS: S-020 and S2/TXT were found to be significantly resistant to TXT(19 and 9.5-fold to their parental cell line SUIT-2, respectively ). RT-PCR demonstrated strong expression of Mdr1 in these two cell lines, but weaker expression or no expression in other cells lines. MRP and LRP expressions were found in most of these cell lines. The TXT-resistance in S2-020 and S2/TXT could be reversed almost completely by Ver, but not by IMC. Flow cytometry showed that Ver increased the accumulation of Rhodamine-123 in these two cell lines. Compared with S-020 and SUIT-2,the levels of β-tubulin isotype II, III expreesions in S-2/TXTwere increased remarkably.CONCLUSION: The both intrinsic and acquired TXT-related drugresistance in these PAC cell lines is mainly mediated by P-gp, but had no relationship to MRP and LRP expressions.The increases of β-tubulin isotype II, III might be collateral changes that occur when the SUIT-2 cells are treated with TXT.