We have previously reported that RhoE is overexpressed in the SGC7901/VCR cell line. However, the potential role of RhoE in the development of multidrug resistance of gastric cancer is unknown. In the present study, RhoE enhanced the resistance of SGC7901 cells to several kinds of antitumor drugs. RhoE overexpression did not alter the intracellular adriamycin accumulation of SGC7901 cells nor the expression of P-gp and MRP-1, but protected SGC7901 cells from vincristine-induced apoptosis. RhoE was found to downregulate the expression of Bax at a posttranscriptional level. Western blot revealed no effects of RhoE on the activities of the Caspase family of proteins. in brief, our study demonstrated that RhoE may promote the multidrug resistance phenotype of gastric cancer cells by decreasing the expression of Bax at posttranscriptional level, thus inhibiting vincristine-induced apoptosis. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.