Down-regulation of lncRNA NEAT1 regulated by miR-194-5p/DNMT3A facilitates acute myeloid leukemia

Objective: miR-194-5p and NEAT1 have been reported to be associated with multiple malignancies, but their roles in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains not fully understood. Methods: Bone marrow samples were collected for monocyte separation. qRT-PCR assay was performed to investigate the expression patterns of NEAT1 and miR-194-5p in AML. CCK-8, soft agar colony formation, flow cytometry and transwell assays were employed to explore the biological functions of NEAT1 or miR-194-5p. Methylation PCR was performed to monitor the methylation of NEAT1. Luciferase reporter assay was subjected to verify the relationship between miR-194-5p and DNMT3A. Immunofluorescence and western blotting were performed to detect the alterations of protein expression. Results: NEAT1 and miR-194-5p were both down-regulated in AML. Overexpression of either NEAT1 or miR-194-5p repressed proliferation, induced apoptosis and restrained migration and invasion of AML cells. There was a negative correlation between NEAT1 and DNMT3A in AML. Knockdown of DNMT3A dramatically decreased the methylation of NEAT1. Moreover, DNMT3A was identified as a downstream target of miR-194-5p. Furthermore, down-regulation of DNMT3A rescued the impacts on the malignant phenotypes of NEAT1 inhibition by miR-194-5p inhibitor. Conclusion: Altogether, down-regulation of NEAT1 mediated by miR-194-5p/DNMT3A axis promotes AML progression, which might provide therapeutic targets in AML treatment.