Identification of the miRNAome of early mesoderm progenitor cells and cardiomyocytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells

Abstract

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression related to many cellular functions. We performed a small-RNAseq analysis of cardiac differentiation from pluripotent stem cells. Our analyses identified some new aspects about microRNA expression in this differentiation process. First, we described a dynamic expression profile of microRNAs where some of them are clustered according to their expression level. Second, we described the extensive network of isomiRs and ADAR modifications. Third, we identified the microRNAs families and clusters involved in the establishment of cardiac lineage and define the mirRNAome based on these groups. Finally, we were able to determine a more accurate miRNAome associated with cardiomyocytes by comparing the expressed microRNAs with other mature cells. MicroRNAs exert their effect in a complex and interconnected way, making necessary a global analysis to better understand their role. Our data expands the knowledge of microRNAs and their implications in cardiomyogenesis.