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Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters logoLink to Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters
. 2014 Jan 10;19(1):52–64. doi: 10.2478/s11658-013-0115-y

MiR-34a regulates apoptosis in liver cells by targeting the KLF4 gene

Qiu Chen 1, Lei Li 1, Yu Tu 1, Lu Lin Zheng 1, Wei Liu 1, Xue Yong Zuo 1, Yong Ming He 2, Shu Yu Zhang 1, Wei Zhu 1, Jian Ping Cao 1, Feng Mei Cui 1,, Jun Hou 3,
PMCID: PMC6275989  PMID: 24415058

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation or targeting messenger RNA (mRNA) for degradation in a posttranscriptional fashion. In this study, we show that ectopic expression of miR-34a-5p reduces the mRNA and protein levels of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). We also demonstrate that miR-34a targets the 3′-untranslated mRNA region of KLF4 and show that overexpression of miR-34a induces a significant level of apoptosis in BNL CL.2 cells exposed to doxorubicin or 10 Gy X-ray. Our data suggest that the effects of miR-34a on apoptosis occur due to the downregulation of KLF4.

Key words: MiR-34a, KLF4, Apoptosis, Liver, Irradiation, Doxorubicin

Full Text

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Abbreviations used

ALDH2

aldehyde dehydrogenase-2

BCL2

B-cell lymphoma-2

FCM

flow cytometry

GAPDH

glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

HEK

human embryonic kidney

KLF4

Krüppel-like factor 4

TBST

Tris-buffered saline with Tween

UTR

untranslated region

Footnotes

Qiu Chen and Lei Li contributed equally to this work

Contributor Information

Feng Mei Cui, Email: cuifengmei@suda.edu.cn.

Jun Hou, Email: hou.jun@zs-hospital.sh.cn.

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