Distinctive microRNA expression profiles in CD34+ bone marrow cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

Michaela Dostalova Merkerova (1) , Zdenek Krejcik (1) , Hana Votavova (1) , Monika Belickova (1) , Alzbeta Vasikova (1) , Jaroslav Cermak (1)

1 Department of Molecular Genetics

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs functioning as regulators of hematopoiesis. Their differential expression patterns have been linked with various pathological processes originating from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, limited information is available regarding the role of miRNAs in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Using miRNA arrays, we measured expression of 1,145 miRNAs in CD34+ bone marrow cells obtained from 39 MDS and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) evolved from MDS patients, and compared them to those of 6 healthy donors. Differential miRNA expression was analyzed and a panel of up-regulated (n=13) and down-regulated (n=9) miRNAs was found (p<0.001) in MDS/AML patients. An increased expression of a large miRNA cluster mapped within 14q32 locus was detected. Differences in miRNA expression of MDS subtypes showed distinction between early and advanced MDS; an apparent dissimilarity was observed between RAEB-1 and RAEB-2 subtypes. In early MDS, we monitored up-regulation of pro-apoptotic miR-34a which may contribute to the increased apoptosis of HSCs. Patients with 5q- deletion were characterized by decreased levels of miR-143* and miR-378 mapped within the commonly deleted region at 5q32. This is an early report describing differential expression in MDS CD34+ cells, likely reflecting their disease-specific regulation.

Mots clés: myelodysplastic syndrome; miRNA; microarrays

Michaela Dostalova Merkerova, Zdenek Krejcik, Hana Votavova, Monika Belickova, Alzbeta Vasikova, et al.. Distinctive microRNA expression profiles in CD34+ bone marrow cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. European Journal of Human Genetics, 2010, ⟨10.1038/ejhg.2010.209⟩. ⟨hal-00598940⟩