The cytotoxicity of a recombinant adenovirus expressing the wild type tumor suppressor gene p53 (AdWTp53) was studied in two human breast cancer MCF-7 sublines selected for resistance to adriamycin (MCF-Adr) and mitoxantrone (MCF-Mito). Although the levels of wild type p53 protein following infection with AdWTp53 are comparable in all cell lines, the two drug-resistant MCF-7 sublines were 300- and 18-fold more sensitive to killing by AdWTp53 compared with the drug-sensitive parental MCF-7 cell lines. In each cell line, AdWTp53 infection led to cell cycle arrest, and reduction of Cdk2 and cyclin B1-Cdc2 activity. Nucleosomal DNA fragmentation analysis (as a function of apoptosis) following AdWTp53 infection revealed that, while the parental MCF-7 cells failed to undergo apoptosis, both drug-resistant cell lines showed distinct DNA laddering. In MCF-Adr cells, a combination treatment of AdWTp53 and adriamycin was much more toxic than either of the reagents used individually. Finally, exposure of a mixed population of MCF-Adr and CD34+ cells to AdWTp53 selectively prevented MCF-Adr cell colony formation, while there was no inhibition of CFU-GM colony formation from CD34+ cells. These findings suggest that some drug-resistant human breast cancers may be effectively treated with adenovirus expressing wild type p53.