Abstract 14420: MicroRNA-214 Regulates Stem Cell Differentiation Into Smooth Muscle Cells by Targeting Quaking

Background: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation is a critical process during vascular development and SMC proliferative related vascular disease. Several microRNAs have been reported to be involved in SMC differentiation. Recently, the microRNA-214 (miR-214) was shown to regulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis. However, very little is known about the functional role of miR-214 in SMC differentiation. The present study investigated the role of miR-214 during SMC differentiation from stem cells and verified its targets. Methods and results: Mouse embryonic stem cells (ES cells) were seeded on collagen IV-coated flasks and cultured in the absence of Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) in differentiation medium for 4 to 8 days in order to induce SMC differentiation. We found that miR-214 was significantly upregulated during SMC differentiation by using real-time RT-PCR analysis. Furthermore, enforced expression of miR-214 by its mimic in differentiating ES cells was found to induce expression of SMC-s...