MicroRNA transcriptional profiling in serum-starved human aortic smooth muscle cells

We sought to identify microRNAs that were differentially regulated in cultured primary human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) when exposed to growth arrest via serum starvation over two time points - 48 hours and 72 hours, when compared with serum-fed cells. This treatment leads to increased expression of SMC differentiation markers such as ACTA2, MYH11 and TAGLN. We identified 31 significantly regulated miRNA candidates during this process, 28 rising and 3 falling. Human aortic SMCs (AoSMCs) were propagated in growth media. Control plates were harvested, and the remaining plates were serum starved for 48 (SS48) or 72 hours (SS72) in serum-free basal media. Several arrays were excluded from final analysis after QC, resulting in a final set of 10.