Table 3.
Investigated MicroRNAs and Their Reported Function
| miRNA | Reported function | References | Observed regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| miR-30b | Negative regulation of osteoblast differentiation | [48] | Higher expressed in high performers at day 0 |
| miR-221 | Negative regulation of chondrocyte differentiation | [49,50] | Higher expressed in high performers at day 0; downregulated during differentiation in high performers; no regulation in low performers |
| miR-34a | Regulates osteoarthritis pathogenesis | [46] | Higher expressed in high performers at day 0; upregulation in low performers during chondrogenesis |
| miR-23b | Potentially upregulated in osteoarthritis (OA); negative regulation of TGFβ and BMP signaling | [51,52] | Higher in high performers at day 0; upregulation in low performers during chondrogenesis |
| miR-26 | Mediates cholesterol metabolism; hypoxic upregulation | [53,54] | Higher expressed in high performers at day 0; upregulation in low performers during chondrogenesis |
| miR-181 | Regulation of TGFβ signaling in chondrocytes; downregulation during chondrogenesis; hypoxic upregulation | [43,54,55] | Higher expressed in high performers at day 0; upregulation in low performers during chondrogenesis |
| miR-210 | Upregulation during chondrogenesis cell survival of MSC hypoxic upregulation | [20,50,54] | Upregulation in both donor groups during chondrogenesis |
| miR-630 | Activation of TGFβ signaling in chondrocytes | [43] | Upregulation during differentiation; higher upregulation in good responders |
| miR-140 | Positive regulation of chondrogenesis; negative regulation of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4); regulation of OA pathogenesis; and endochondral bone formation | [40–42] | Higher expressed in high performers; decreased during chondrogenesis |
| miR-145 | Negatively regulates chondrogenesis by targeting SOX9; downregulation during chondrogenesis | [50,55,56] | Higher expressed in high performers; decreased during chondrogenesis |
| Let-7e | Downregulation during chondrogenesis self-renewal of stem cells | [50,57] | Higher expressed in low performers; downregulation during chondrogenesis |
TGFβ, transforming growth factor-beta; MSC, mesenchymal stromal/stem cell; BMP, bone morphogenetic protein.