miRNAs: A New Method for Erythroid Differentiation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells Without the Presence of Growth Factors

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of non-coding regulatory RNA molecules that contribute to post-transcriptional gene regulation. Recent studies have demonstrated that specific miRNAs such as miR-150, miR-154, and miR-451 have key roles in erythropoiesis. To date, stimulatory cytokines are considered as unique effectors for in vitro differentiation of HSCs to erythropoietic lineage. However, the use of these factors is not cost-effective for clinical applications and therapeutic strategies. Here, we present a novel and cost-effective strategy in which miRNAs expression modulation promotes erythroid differentiation in HSCs in the absence of any extrinsic factors. Thus, CD133(+) hematopoietic stem cells purified from human umbilical cord blood were treated with pre-miR-451 containing lentiviruses, anti-miR-150 and anti-miR-154 in the absence of growth factors and cytokines. Obtained results indicated that miR-451 upregulation and miR-150 downregulation have positive effect on GATA-1, FOG-1, and EKLF, CD71 and CD235a genes expression and induce hemoglobinization efficiently. However, downregulation of miR-154 had no effect on erythropoiesis indexes compared to that observed in the control group. In conclusion, the data presented here for the first time demonstrate that expression modulation of miR-451 and miR-150 could be an efficient alternative to stimulatory cytokines for CD133(+) differentiation into erythroid lineage. Modulation of erythropoiesis in stem cells via miRNA holds promising potential for vascular tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.