MicroRNA hsa-mir-16 Contributes to Regulation of Myeloid Differentiation of Human CD34+ Cells.

In a large microRNA-array and bioinformatics study, we determined all of the microRNAs (miRs) expressed by human CD34+ hematopoietic stem-progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow and G-CSF mobilized blood. When we combined miR expression data, mRNA expression data fro a previous study (Georgantas et al, Cancer Research 64:4434), and data from various published mir-target prediction algorithms, we were able to bioinformaticly predict the actions of miRs within the hematopoietic system. MicroRNA hsa-mir-16 was highly expressed in CD34+ HSPCs, and was predicted to target several HSPC-expressed mRNAs (CXCR4, HoxB7, Runx-1, ETS-1, and Myb) that encode proteins known to be critically involved specifically in myelopoiesis within the hematopoietic system. We first confirmed that protein expression from each of these putative target mRNAs was in fact regulated by mir-16. The 3′UTR sequence from each of these mRNAs was cloned behind a luciferase reporter. Each reporter construct was transfected into K562 cells, which strongly express mir-16. In all cases, protein expression from the predicted target mRNA was greatly reduced in K562 cells, as compared to controls. As a first determination of mir-16’s function in hematopoietic cells, HL60 and K562 cells were transduced with hsa-mir-16 lentivirus, then treated with various chemical differentiation inducers. As was predicted by bioinformatics, hsa-mir-16 halted myeloid differentiation of HL60 cells, but did not affect megakaryocytic differentiation or erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. These initial findings suggest that mir-16 is a specific negative regulator of myelopoiesis. We are currently evaluating the effects of mir-16 on normal human CD34+ cells by in vitro CFC and suspension culture assays, as well as in vivo by transplantation of hsa-mir-16 lentivirus transduced cells in immunodeficient mice.