c-Myb is an evolutionary conserved miR-150 target and miR-150/c-Myb interaction is important for embryonic development

Mol Biol Evol. 2008 Oct;25(10):2189-98. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msn165. Epub 2008 Jul 29.

Abstract

Human c-Myb proto-oncogene is highly expressed in hematopoietic progenitors as well as leukemia and certain solid tumor. However, the regulatory mechanisms of its expression and biological functions remain largely unclear. Recently, c-Myb has been shown to be targeted by microRNA-150 (miR-150) which thereby controls B cell differentiation in mice. In this study, we demonstrated that c-Myb is an evolutionary conserved target of miR-150 in human and zebrafish, using reporter assays. Ectopic expression of miR-150 in breast cancer and leukemic cells repressed endogenous c-Myb at both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels. Among several leukemia cell lines, primary leukemia cells, and normal lymphocytes, expression levels of miR-150 inversely correlated with c-Myb. The miR-150 overexpression or c-Myb silencing in zebrafish zygotes led to similar and serious phenotypic defects in zebrafish, and the phenotypic aberrations induced by miR-150 could be reversed by coinjection of c-Myb mRNA. Our findings suggest that c-Myb is an evolutionally conserved target of miR-150 and miR-150/c-Myb interaction is important for embryonic development and possibly oncogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chromosome Aberrations
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Humans
  • Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Mice
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phenotype
  • Proto-Oncogene Mas
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myb / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myb / metabolism*
  • Zebrafish

Substances

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • MAS1 protein, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • Mirn150 microRNA, mouse
  • Proto-Oncogene Mas
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myb