Tianjin Medical Journal ›› 2025, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (8): 785-790.doi: 10.11958/20250458

• Cell and Molecular Biology •     Next Articles

The research on the mechanism of microRNA-34a influencing the progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia by regulating the Wnt pathway

LIU Hong(), ZHANG Yueyue, WANG Yilin, WANG Caili, WANG Xiaomin, MAO Min, LI Yan()   

  1. Department of Hematology, People’s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830001, China
  • Received:2025-02-10 Revised:2025-05-14 Published:2025-08-15 Online:2025-08-12
  • Contact: E-mail:liyan232917@139.com

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of microRNA-34a (miR-34a-5p) on the progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Methods Human chronic B-cell leukemia MEC-1 cells were selected for experimentation. MEC cells were divided into two groups, group one: the p53 agonist group and the control group; group two: the control group, the miR-34a-5p mimic group and its corresponding negative control, the miR-34a-5p inhibitor group and its corresponding negative control, as well as the miR-34a-5p inhibitor + Wnt inhibitor XAV-939 group. The expression levels of miR-34a-5p in each group were measured using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR). Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8 assay, while cell migration ability was evaluated using Transwell migration assay. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to validate the targeting relationships between p53 and miR-34a-5p, as well as between miR-34a-5p and Wnt1. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expressions of β-catenin and Cyclin D1, which were key components of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Results In MEC-1 cells: ① compared with the control group, there was a increased miR-34a-5p expression and inhibited cell proliferation in the p53 agonist group (P<0.05). Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed a negative regulatory correlation between miR-34a-5p and p53. ② the miR-34a-5p mimic group showed significantly upregulated miR-34a-5p expression compared to the control group, leading to suppressed cell proliferation, reduced migration capability and decreased protein expressions of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 (P<0.05). Conversely, the miR-34a-5p inhibitor group demonstrated significantly downregulated miR-34a-5p expression, resulting in enhanced cell proliferation, increased migratory capacity and upregulated protein levels of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 compared to those of the control group (P<0.05). ③ A targeting relationship was observed between miR-34a-5p and Wnt1. ④ Compared with the miR-34a-5p inhibitor group, the XAV-939 group exhibited significantly upregulated miR-34a-5p expression, markedly decreased numbers of migrated cells and substantially reduced protein expression levels of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 (P<0.05). Conclusion miR-34a plays the role of a tumor suppressor gene in CLL. Overexpression of miR-34a can inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, reduce the proliferation activity and migration ability of cells, and promote cell apoptosis.

Key words: leukemia, B-cell, Wnt signaling pathway, tumor suppressor protein p53, cell proliferation, microRNA-34a

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