Objective-Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative disorder, arising from the acquired mutation(s) of a hematopoietic stem cell. The JAK2 V617F somatic mutation is found in most PV patients; however, it is not the disease-initiating mutation. Since microRNAs (miRNAs) play a regulatory role in hematopoiesis, we studied miRNA expressions in PV and normal erythropoiesis.Methods-The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured in a three-phase liquid system resulting in synchronized expansion of erythroid progenitors. Using gene expression profiling by CombiMatrix MicroRNArray, we searched for PV specific changes at day1, 14 and 21. Twelve miRNA candidates were then reevaluated by quantitative RealTime PCR in a larger number of samples obtained from progenitors at the same stage of differentiation.Results-A significant difference of miR-150 expression was found in PV. In normal erythropoiesis, three expression patterns of miRNAs were observed: progressive down-regulation of miR-150, miR-155, miR-221, miR-222; up-regulation of miR-451, miR-16 at late stages of erythropoiesis; and biphasic regulation of miR-339, miR-378. The miR-451 appears to be erythroid specific.Conclusions-We identified the miRNAs with regulated expression in erythropoiesis; one appeared to be PV specific. Their miRNA expression levels define early, intermediate, and late stages of erythroid differentiation. The validity of our findings was confirmed in non-expanded peripheral blood cells.