Malak Haidar
King Abdullah university of science and technology, Saudi Arabia
Title: miR-34c plays a key role in theileria-transformed macrophages and human cancer cell lines by targeting PRKAR2B
Biography
Biography: Malak Haidar
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in regulating a wide range of cellular signaling pathways; for example, both physiological and pathological processes in cancer. Here, we report on the role of miR-34c in regulating PKA activity during in cell transformation. Theileria is an intracellular eukaryotic parasite that transforms its bovine host leukocytes into disseminating leukomas that cause a widespread disease of economic importance called tropical theileriosis. By studying this unique model of cellular transformation we identified PRKAR2B (cAMP-dependent protein kinase type II-beta regulatory subunit) as a new miR-34c target gene. Overexpression of miR-34c repressed PRKAR2B levels and consequently increased PKA activity in Theileria-transformed leukocytes promoting their virulent disseminating tumor phenotype. We also validated miR-34c repression of PRKAR2B expression using human colon cancer (HCT-116) and promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells. The identification of miR-34c as a novel regulator of PKA activity could improve understanding of glucose-independent growth of many different types of cancer.