Myc induced miR-144/451 contributes to the acquired imatinib resistance in chronic myelogenous leukemia cell K562.

Imatinib resistance remains the big hurdle for CML therapy. Previous study reveals that c-myc is important for bcr-abl CML cell proliferation, while its role in imatinib resistance is largely unknown. In this study, we first found that c-myc expression is upregulated in imatinib resistant K562R cells, which in turn enhances the expression of miR-144/451. Knockdown of c-myc or restoration of miR-144/451 in the K562R cells sensitizes K562R cells to imatinib therapy. Our study here reveals an regulatory pathway between myc and miR-144/451 and highlights that targeting either myc or miR-144/451 might be valuable for eliminating the imatinib resistant CML cells.