Over-expression of miR-196b-5p is significantly associated with the progression of myelodysplastic syndrome

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a clonal stem cell disorder characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis with a high risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). miRNAs function as tumor suppressors and oncogenes in various cancers and regulate the differentiation potential of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). It has been suggested that miRNAs may play an important role in progression of MDS. We analyzed bone marrow samples collected from MDS patients according to different risk stratification indicated by the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS). We demonstrated that miR-196b-5p was up-regulated in intermediate II and higher groups, and in secondary AML (s-AML) patients in particular (P < 0.01) compared with healthy controls, suggesting that the higher expression levels are associated with increased risk of the development of MDS. We observed changes in proliferation and apoptosis in MDS-L cells following transfection with miR-196-5p mimics or inhibitors. After up-regulating the expression of miR-196b-5p, proliferation of MDS-L cells was up-regulated, whereas apoptosis was down-regulated (P < 0.05). In contrast, down-regulation of miR-196b-5p expression decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis (P < 0.05). We concluded that over-expression of miR-196b-5p may be closely associated with the risk of transformation to leukemia in MDS patients.