MiR-495-3p regulates myoblasts proliferation and differentiation through targeting cadherin 2

MircoRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in skeletal muscle development. Previous study had found that miR-495-3p was differentially expressed in fetal and adult goat skeletal muscle, but its function in myogenic proliferation and differentiation are unclear. Herein, we found the expression of miR-495-3p in C2C12 was downregulated during proliferation stage and upregulated during differentiation stage. Functionally, overexpression of miR-495-3p in C2C12 inhibited proliferation, and promoted myogenic differentiation. Mechanistically, the luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that cadherin 2 (<i>CDH2</i>) was a potential target gene of miR-495-3p. Importantly, overexpression of miR-495-3p inhibited <i>CDH2</i> expression. Furthermore, knockdown of <i>CDH2</i> in C2C12 inhibited proliferation and promoted myogenic differentiation. Together, the results showed that miR-495-3p inhibits C2C12 proliferation and promotes myogenic differentiation through targeting <i>CDH2</i>.