miR-17 in imatinib resistance and response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic myeloid leukemia cells

In this study we examined the expression levels of miR-17 which possesses oncogenic activities through downregulation of CDKN1A, p21 and E2F1 tumor suppressor genes, in imatinib sensitive and resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. On the other hand, we also determined the expression levels of miR-17 in response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors imatinib, nilotinib and dasatinib used for the treatment of CML. The expression profiles of miR-17 were analysed by Stem-Loop reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results revealed significant increase in the expression levels of miR-17 in imatinib sensitive and resistant cells compared to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). On the other hand, significant decrease was observed in miR-17 levels in response to imatinib, nilotinib and dasatinib. These results may imply that miR-17 can be used for diagnosis and treatment of CML.