The MYCN oncogene is a direct target of miR-34a

Elevated MYCN, seen in about 20-30% of neuroblastoma cases, is currently the only marker of disease progression - and characterizes it's most aggressive form. 1p36 deletions have been implicated in this cancer, as in others, but no single suppressor gene from this region has been found. Of 5 microRNAs mapping to this region miR-34a had the greatest effect on neuroblastoma cells, was complementary to MCYN 3'UTR at 2 locations, and mediated a profile of neural (GPCRs) rather than cell cycle genes. In 1p36 mutants, where mir-34a expression is lower, transfection causes an 80-90% reduction in MYCN.


[connotea],[CCR]