MicroRNA-16 Regulates Myeloblastosis Oncogene Expression to Affect Differentiation of Acute Leukemia Cells.

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of micro-RNA-16 (miR-16)-regulated expression of myeloblastosis oncogene (MYB) on the differentiation of acute leukemia cells, the expressions of miR-16 and MYB mRNA, and protein in differently differentiated leukemia cells were detected by real-time PCR and western blot. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25 D3) induced monocytic differentiation of HL60 cells, and the resulting changes in miR-16 and MYB expressions were detected. Morphology of the cells induced by 1,25 D3, after being transfection with miR-16 mimics, was observed by Wright-Giemsa staining. The expression of mononuclear cell surface marker CD14 was detected by flow cytometry. Minimum miR-16 was expressed in early-differentiation KG-1a cells, while late-differentiation U937 and THP-1 cells had higher expressions (p < 0.01). The expressions of MYB changed oppositely. During the monocytic differentiation of HL60 cells, miR-16 expression showed a time-dependent increase, but MYB expression gradually decreased. Overexpression of miR-16 in HL60 cells promoted 1,25 D3-induced morphological changes and CD14 expression (p < 0.05). MR-16 facilitated the monocytic differentiation of leukemia HL60 cells by negatively regulating MYB expression.