miR-125b modulates megakaryocyte maturation by targeting the cell-cycle inhibitor p19^INK4D

A better understanding of the mechanisms involved in megakaryocyte maturation will facilitate the generation of platelets in vitro and their clinical applications. A microRNA, miR-125b, has been suggested to have important roles in the self-renewal of megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors and in platelet generation. However, miR-125b is also critical for hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal. Thus, the function of miR-125b and the complex signaling pathways regulating megakaryopoiesis remain to be elucidated. In this study, an attentive examination of the endogenous expression of miR-125b during megakaryocyte differentiation was performed. Accordingly, the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells requires the downregulation of miR-125b, whereas megakaryocyte determination and maturation synchronize with miR-125b accumulation. The overexpression of miR-125b improves megakaryocytic differentiation of K562 and UT-7 cells. Furthermore, stage-specific overexpression of miR-125b in primary cells demonstrates that miR-125b mediates an enhancement of megakaryocytic differentiation after megakaryocyte determination, the stage at which megakaryocytes are negative for the expression of the hematopoietic progenitor marker CD34. The identification of miR-125b targets during megakaryopoiesis was focused on negative regulators of cell cycle because the transition of the G1/S phase has been associated with megakaryocyte polyploidization. Real-time PCR, western blot and luciferase reporter assay reveal that p19^INK4D is a direct target of miR-125b. P19^INK4D knockdown using small interfering RNA (siRNA) in megakaryocyte-induced K562 cells, UT-7 cells and CD61⁺ promegakaryocytes results in S-phase progression and increased polyploidy, as well as improved megakaryocyte differentiation, similarly to the effects of miR-125b overexpression. P19^INK4D overexpression reverses these effects, as indicated by reduced expression of megakaryocyte markers, G1-phase arrest and polyploidy decrease. P19^INK4D knockdown in miR-125b downregulated cells or p19^INK4D overexpression in miR-125b upregulated cells rescued the effect of miR-125b. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-125b expression positively regulates megakaryocyte development since the initial phases of megakaryocyte determination, and p19^INK4D is one of the key mediators of miR-125b activity during the onset of megakaryocyte polyploidization.