Figure 5.

Role of miRNAs in regulation and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells and differentiation of stem/progenitor cells into endothelial and smooth muscle cell lineages. Multiple miRNAs are involved in regulating ESC differentiation into multipotent stem/progenitor cells, largely by targeting stemness factors. miR-21, miR-134, miR-145, miR-296 and miR-470 promote ESC differentiation by inhibiting transcription factors Nanog, Sox2, Oct4, c-Myc and Klf4. In contrast, the miR 290-295 cluster inhibits progression, termed embryonic stem cell-specific cell cycle-regulating miRNAs. Other key miRNAs promote cardiovascular lineage differentiation and regulate cell phenotype, including endothelial and smooth muscle cell commitment.