MiR-19b-3p regulates osteogenic differentiation of PDGFRα + muscle cells by specifically targeting PTEN.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common disturbing complication of intra-articular fractures. Its prevention and treatment are still difficult as its pathogenesis is unclear. It was reported that PDGFRα+ muscle cells in skeletal muscle may participate in the formation of HO, however the specific mechanism is still unknown. This study investigated the function of miR-19b-3p in osteogenic differentiation of PDGFRα+ muscle cells.MiR-19b-3p was upregulated during PDGFRα+ muscle cells osteogenic differentiation. The exogenous expression of miR-19b-3p led to an increase in osteogenic marker genes transcription and translation during the osteogenic differentiation of PDGFRα+ muscle cells. Furthermore, both alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining increased in miR-19b-3p mimic transfected cells. Overexpression of miR-19b-3p led to the down-regulation of PTEN. Additionally, the dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that PTEN was a direct target of miR-19b-3p. The increase of osteocalcin, osteopontin and Runx2 protein levels induced by ectopic miR-19b-3p expression could be partially reversed by PTEN over-expression. In conclusion, our results suggested that miR-19b-3p may be a promising target in inhibiting PDGFRα+ muscle cells osteogenic differentiation and treatment of HO. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.