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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