MicroRNA-320a acts as a tumor suppressor by targeting BCR/ABL oncogene in chronic myeloid leukemia

Sci Rep. 2015 Jul 31:5:12460. doi: 10.1038/srep12460.

Abstract

Accumulating evidences demonstrated that the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with tumorigenesis, tumor progression, metastasis and relapse in cancers, including chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We found that miR-320a expression was reduced in K562 and in CML cancer stem cells. Moreover, we found that miR-320a inhibited K562 cell migration, invasion, proliferation and promoted apoptosis by targeting BCR/ABL oncogene. As an upstream regulator of BCR/ABL, miR-320a directly targets BCR/ABL. The enhanced expression of miR-320a inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT and NF-κB; however, the expression of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT and NF-κB were restored by the overexpression of BCR/ABL. In K562, infected with miR-320a or transfected with SiBCR/ABL, the protein levels of fibronectin, vimentin, and N-cadherin were decreased, but the expression of E-cadherin was increased. The expression of mesenchymal markers in miR-320a-expressing cells was restored to normal levels by the restoration of BCR/ABL expression. Generally speaking, miR-320a acts as a novel tumor suppressor gene in CML and miR-320a can decrease migratory, invasive, proliferative and apoptotic behaviors, as well as CML EMT, by attenuating the expression of BCR/ABL oncogene.

Publication types

  • Retracted Publication

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / genetics
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Female
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic
  • Genes, Tumor Suppressor*
  • Humans
  • K562 Cells / pathology
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / genetics*
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / mortality
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / physiology
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • MIRN320 microRNA, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl