Serum miR-493-3p as a diagnostic biomarker and epigenetic regulator targeting DPY30 in pediatric acute lymphoblastic...

Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most prevalent hematologic malignancy in children. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value and functional role of serum microRNA-493-3p (miR-493-3p) in pediatric ALL. Serum miR-493-3p levels were quantified by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in103 ALL patients and 85 healthy controls. Bioinformatic tools were used to screen potential target genes of miR-493-3p, and dual-luciferase reporter assays were performed for validation. Functional experiments were conducted by regulating miR-493-3p and its target gene expression to assess changes in leukemic cell malignant phenotypes. Serum miR-493-3p expression was notably downregulated in ALL patients compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001), demonstrating good diagnostic accuracy with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.881. Low miR-493-3p expression was associated with advanced risk stratification (P = 0.001) and poor survival (P < 0.05). Mechanistically, we identified Dpy-30 histone methyltransferase complex regulatory subunit (DPY30) as a direct target of miR-493-3p, showing an inverse correlation in clinical samples (r=-0.755, P < 0.001). Functional experiments revealed that miR-493-3p overexpression suppressed leukemic cell proliferation and invasion (P < 0.001) while promoting apoptosis through targeting DPY30, effects that were partially reversed by DPY30 restoration. Serum miR-493-3p serves as a promising noninvasive biomarker for pediatric ALL diagnosis and prognosis Our findings demonstrate that miR-493-3p functions as a tumor suppressor in ALL by targeting DPY30, suggesting the miR-493-3p/DPY30 axis as a potential therapeutic target for ALL treatment.