Let-7b regulates the adriamycin resistance of chronic myelogenous leukemia by targeting AURKB in K562/ADM cells

Abstract

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant hematological disease, and drug resistance is often related to poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNA) play a pivotal role in transcriptional regulation, cell development, and chemotherapy resistance. Here, we describe the effect of let-7b on resistant leukemia cells and examine the relevance of let-7b as a biomarker for adriamycin resistance. Results showed that let-7b was downregulated in K562/ADM (KA) cells, and the downregulation of let-7b in K562 and KA cells increased ADM resistance. The inhibition of let-7b subsequently induced the upregulation of AURKB. Finally, results proved that the Pi3k/Akt/Erk pathway was related to AURKB-activated resistance. Our research indicated that the underexpression of let-7b and overexpression of AURKB contributed to the resistance of CML, and its function is partly regulated by the Pi3k/Akt/Erk pathway. Thus, our further understand of its inhibitory effect may promise a new therapeutic strategy to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance in CML.

Keywords:

• Chronic myelogenous leukemia
• adriamycin resistance
• let-7b
• AURKB

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 81800169, 81772281; Shandong Science and Technology Committee under Grant 2018GSF118056, ZR2019MH022; Foundation of Shandong Educational Committee under Grant J17KA121, 2019KJK014; Yantai Science and Technology Committee under Grant 2018XSCC051; and Shandong Province Taishan Scholar Project under Grant ts201712067.