miR-137 downregulates c-kit expression in acute myeloid leukemia.
The oncogene c-kit plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the mechanism of microRNAs targeting c-kit in AML has not been determined in detail. Moreover, the role miR-137 in tumor cell proliferation remains controversial. The aim of this work was to verify whether miR-137 targets c-kit and to research the biological effects of restoring miR-137 expression in leukemia cells. We found that miR-137 binds specifically to the 3'-UTR of c-kit and suppresses the expression and activities of c-kit. There is a negative correlation between miR-137 and c-kit expression in both patients and cell lines determined by screening large clinical samples. We found that miR-137 can inhibit proliferation, promote apoptosis, and induce differentiation of c-kit+ AML cells. We determined that miR-137 can participate in the leukemogenesis by regulating c-kit, which could be used as a therapeutic target for acute myeloid leukemia.
Department of Clinical Genetics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China; Department of Hemotology Laboratory, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Yanping
Y
Hu
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Xiaolong
X
Dong
Department of Clinical Genetics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Guoming
G
Chu
Department of Clinical Genetics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Guangrui
G
Lai
Department of Clinical Genetics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China; Department of Hemotology Laboratory, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Bijun
B
Zhang
Department of Clinical Genetics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Leitong
L
Wang
Department of Clinical Genetics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China. Electronic address: yyzhao@sj-hospital.org.
Yanyan
Y
Zhao
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics*
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; C545567:MIRN137 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
Acute myeloid leukemia; c-kit; miR-137