A common characteristic of aging is defective regeneration of skeletal muscle. The molecular pathways underlying age-related decline in muscle regenerative potential remain elusive. microRNAs are novel gene regulators controlling development and homeostasis and the regeneration of most tissues, including skeletal muscle. Here, we use satellite cells and primary myoblasts from mice and humans an...

MicroRNAs have emerged as regulators of smooth muscle cell phenotype with a role in smooth muscle-related disease. Studies have shown that miR-143 and miR-145 are the most highly expressed microRNAs in smooth muscle cells, controlling differentiation and function. The effect of miR-143/145 knockout has been established in the vasculature but not in smooth muscle from other organs. Using knockou...

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) plasticity plays an important role during development and in vascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. It was recently shown that down-regulation of microRNA (miR)-143 and -145, which are coexpressed from a single promoter, regulates the switch from contractile to synthetic phenotype, allowing SMCs to migrate and proliferate. We show in this study tha...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding small RNAs that play roles in regulating gene expression. Some miRNAs have been classed as epigenetic regulators of metabolism and energy homeostasis. Previous reports indicated that the miRNAs miR-27a and miR-143 were involved in lipid metabolism in human and rodents. To determine the roles of porcine miR-27a and miR-143 in adipocyte lipid metabolism, porcine ...

miR-143 and miR-145 are downregulated in colon cancer. Here, we tested the effect of restoring these miRNAs on sensitization to cetuximab in mutant KRAS (HCT116 and SW480) and wild-type KRAS (SW48) colon cancer cells. We evaluated cetuximab-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and the modulation of signaling pathways involved in immune effector cell-mediated elimination of c...

Vascular injury triggers dedifferentiation and cytoskeletal remodeling of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), culminating in vessel occlusion. Serum response factor (SRF) and its coactivator, myocardin, play a central role in the control of smooth muscle phenotypes by regulating the expression of cytoskeletal genes. We show that SRF and myocardin regulate a cardiovascular-specific microRNA (miRNA) clus...

Deregulated expression of activin A is reported in several tumors, but its biological functions in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are unknown. Here, we investigate whether activin A can play a causal role in OSCCs. Activin A expression was assessed by qPCR and immunohistochemistry in OSCC tissues. Low activin A-expressing cells were treated with recombinant activin A and assessed for apopt...

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of tumor mortality. To characterize the underlying molecular mechanisms, we have compared the microRNA (miRNA) profile of primary prostate cancers and noncancer prostate tissues using deep sequencing. MiRNAs are small noncoding RNAs of 21 to 25 nucleotides that regulate gene expression through the inhibition of protein synthesis. We find that 33 miRNAs were up...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether microRNAs (miRs) can serve as novel biomarkers for in-stent restenosis (ISR). METHODS This retrospective, observational single-centre study was conducted at the cardiovascular department of a tertiary hospital centre in the north of China. Follow-up coronary angiography at 6 to 12 months was performed in 181 consecutive patients implanted with drug-eluting ste...

Macrosomia, a birth weight ≥ 4,000 g, is associated with maternal and infant health problems. The dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the placenta is associated with adverse birth outcomes, yet whether aberrantly expressed placental miRNAs are associated with macrosomia remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to characterize the expression of three placental miRNAs (miR‑6, ‑21 and ...