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

► Increased c-myc expression in imatinib resistant CML cells. ► c-myc contributes the imatinib resistance in CML cells. ► c-myc transcriptionally reduces the expression of miR-144/451 in K562R cells. ► Restoration of miR-144/451 reverses the resistance of K562R cells to imatinib.