B-cell activation induced microRNA-21 is elevated in circulating B cells preceding the diagnosis of AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

We show that microRNA-21 is significantly elevated in peripheral B cells of HIV-infected individuals who go on to develop AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n=13, <3 years prior to diagnosis) when compared with HIV-negative (n=18) or HIV-positive controls (n=21) (P<0.01). Moreover, miR-21 is overexpressed in activated B cells and can be induced by interleukin 4 alone, or with CD40 or immunoglobulin M co-stimulation, and lipopolysaccharides, suggesting that miR-21 may help maintain B-cell hyperactivation, contributing to lymphomagenesis.