Role of miR-34a-5p in Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells Proliferation and Fate Decision: Novel Insights into the Pathogenesis of Primary Myelofibrosis

• Main Authors: Elisa Bianchi, Samantha Ruberti, Sebastiano Rontauroli, Paola Guglielmelli, Simona Salati, Chiara Rossi, Roberta Zini, Enrico Tagliafico, Alessandro Maria Vannucchi, Rossella Manfredini
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: miR-34a-5p; nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 2 (NR4A2); lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1); MYB; hematopoetic progenitor cells; hematopoietic differentiation; megakaryopoiesis; primary myelofibrosis; myeloproliferative neoplasms; macrophage
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/18/1/145

Primary Myelofibrosis (PMF) is a chronic Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by a skewed megakaryopoiesis and an overproduction of proinflammatory and profibrotic mediators that lead to the development of bone marrow (BM) fibrosis. Since we recently uncovered the upregulation of miR-34a-5p in PMF CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), in order to elucidate its role in PMF pathogenesis here we unravelled the effects of miR-34a-5p overexpression in HPCs. We showed that enforced expression of miR-34a-5p partially constrains proliferation and favours the megakaryocyte and monocyte/macrophage commitment of HPCs. Interestingly, we identified lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) and nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 2 (NR4A2) transcripts as miR-34a-5p-targets downregulated after miR-34a-5p overexpression in HPCs as well as in PMF CD34+ cells. Remarkably, the knockdown of NR4A2 in HPCs mimicked the antiproliferative effects of miR-34a-5p overexpression, while the silencing of LEF1 phenocopied the effects of miR-34a-5p overexpression on HPCs lineage choice, by favouring the megakaryocyte and monocyte/macrophage commitment. Collectively our data unravel the role of miR-34a-5p in HPCs fate decision and suggest that the increased expression of miR-34a-5p in PMF HPCs could be important for the skewing of megakaryopoiesis and the production of monocytes, that are key players in BM fibrosis in PMF patients.