For myelodysplastic syndromes caused by deletion of chromosome 5q, Daniel Starczynowski et al. provide evidence that decreased expression of two miRNAs in this region—miR-145 and miR-146a—contributes to abnormal megakaryocyte differentiation and platelet production and progression of the disease to either bone marrow failure or leukemia. The authors also provide a mechanistic explanation for these effects by which loss of these two miRNAs leads to derepression of innate immune signaling.
- Daniel T Starczynowski
- Florian Kuchenbauer
- Aly Karsan