Evaluation of microRNA-223 and microRNA-125a expression association with STAT3 and Bcl2 genes in blood leukocytes of CLL patients: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE

In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), lack of expression or dysregulation of some special miRs disrupts apoptosis of malignant cells; thereby miR expression can enhance cell proliferation, disease progression and decrease patient survival.

RESULTS

30 CLL patients and 20 healthy individuals participated in the study. RNA was extracted to evaluate the expression of miR-125, miR-223, BCL-2 and signal transducer and transcription 3 activator (STAT3) genes; quantitative Real Time- PCR (Q-RT-PCR) was performed. MiR-125a and miR-223 expression decreased in the patients compared to the control group (P-Value:0.001). BCL-2 and STAT3 which are the target genes of these two miRs, showed increased expression, in the patients compared to the control subjects (P-Value: 0.001 and P-Value: 0.64 respectively). A significant reverse relationship was found between miR-125a and BCl-2 expression and WBC count. Significantly, miR-223 expression was associated with smoking in patients (P-Value: 0.007). Also, these miRs may have regulatory effects by controlling white blood cell (WBC) production based on the inverse correlation with WBC count and hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Finally, miR-223 can be used as a prognostic factor in CLL patients; miR-125a may be useful for evaluating the therapeutic approaches based on the inverse link with BCl-2.