miR-7641 modulates the expression of CXCL1 during endothelial differentiation derived from human embryonic stem cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression through binding to 3' untranslated region. We identified and characterized the novel miRNA, miR-7641, in human mesenchymal stem cells. The expression of miR-7641 was downregulated during differentiation from human embryonic stem cells to endothelial cells. The CXCL1, a member of the CXC chemokine family, is known as promoting neovascularization by binding G-protein coupled receptors and is related to endothelial cells biogenesis such as angiogenesis, and it was predicted as target gene of miR-7641 by computerized analysis and the luciferase reporter assay. The miR-7641 significantly suppressed CXCL1 of transcriptional and post-translational levels. These data suggest that miR-7641 might be related with differentiation of human endothelial cells.