HOB1/VCR, a multidrug-resistant subline of the immunoblastic B lymphoma cell line, was established by sequential selection in increasing concentrations of vincristine. The expression of the human mdr l gene, as analyzed by reverse transcription and polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR), revealed a 10-15-fold overexpression in this resistant cell line. A complete inhibition of vincristine resistance by verapamil was observed in the vincristine-resistant HOB1/VCR cells, which suggests that acquired resistance may be mainly due to P-glycoprotein. HOB1/VCR cells also developed a 67-fold cross-resistance to the anticancer drug cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin). DNA repair of the resistant and the parental cell lines was investigated by in situ detection with a cisplatin-DNA adduct-specific antibody and by measurement of repair-associated host cell reactivation of damaged plasmid DNA. HOB1/VCR cells exhibited a 2-fold decrease in the level of cisplatin-DNA adducts, compared to the parental cells. The DNA repair rate following peak accumulation of cisplatin-DNA adducts (which took approximately 4 h) was also enhanced in the resistant cells. This was supported by the measurement of the cisplatin level remaining in cells by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, which showed a 2.7-fold reduction in the resistant cells. In addition, the acquired resistance and enhanced DNA repair in HOB1/VCR cells were partially reversed by nontoxic aphidicolin, a DNA polymerase-alpha and DNA repair inhibitor. Inhibition of the intracellular level of glutathione by DL-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine demonstrated that cell viability was inhibited 4-fold more in the resistant cells than in the parental cells. The results suggest that the reduced formation of cisplatin-DNA adducts and the increased glutathione content of the multidrug-resistant cells play a major role in phenotypic cross-resistance to cisplatin.