Open Access

ARTICLE

miR-187-5p Regulates Cell Growth and Apoptosis in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia via DKK2

Ye Lou^*1, Lei Liu^†1, Lihui Zhan^‡, Xuewei Wang^§, Hua Fan^¶

* Department of Hematology, Daqing Oilfield General Hospital, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China
† Department of Oncology, Daqing Longnan Hospital, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China
‡ Department of Ophthalmology, Daqing People’s Hospital, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China
§ Department of Physical Diagnostics Division, Daqing People’s Hospital, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China
¶ Department of Hematology, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
1 These authors provided equal contribution to this work.

Oncology Research 2016, 24(2), 89-97. https://doi.org/10.3727/096504016X14597766487753

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy and causes a high rate of mortality in affected adults. Many subtypes of ALL exist with disruptions in distinct genetic pathways, including those regulated by miRNAs. Here we identify miR-187-5p as being highly upregulated in B-cell ALL and a driver of cellular proliferation and suppressor of apoptosis. We show that miR-187-5p directly targets the 3'-UTR of DKK2 to mediate these effects. We further determine that inhibition of DKK2 by miR-187-5p in Nalm-6 B cells leads to inappropriate activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Together, these findings reveal that the miR-187-5p–DKK2 pathway regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, cell growth, and apoptosis. Our findings provide the first evidence of a role for miR-187-5p in promotion of B-cell ALL.

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