Year: 2011
Type: dissertation
Abstract: MicroRNAs are noncoding RNAs that bind to the 3' untranslated region of their mRNA targets, which causes downregulation of target gene expression. Previous studies have shown that the miR-17-92 cluster, which encodes six miRNAs, is overexpressed in leukemias arising from chromosomal translocations of the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene. In the present study, prediction algorithms identified WEE1, a kinase that inhibits cell cycle progression, as a possible target of five of the six miRNAs. Through luciferase reporter assays, we found that miR-17, miR-20a, and miR-18a specifically target nucleotides 465 to 487 of the 3' UTR of WEE1, while miR-19a and miR-19b target nucleotides 1069 to 1091. Notably, while we did not detect a relationship between MLL rearrangement status and miR-17-92 expression in the leukemia cell lines tested, we observed a negative correlation between endogenous miR-17-92 and endogenous WEE1. These results suggest that WEE1 is a target of the miR-17-92 cluster.
Author: Sonia Susan Olikara
Institution: Loyola University Chicago
Language: English
Subfield: Cancer Research
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1580428797