miRNA/mRNA co-profiling identifies the miR-200 family as a central regulator of SMC quiescence

miRNAs are versatile regulators of smooth muscle cell (SMC) fate and behavior in vascular development and disease. Targeted loss-of-function studies have established the relevance of specific miRNAs in controlling SMC differentiation or mediating phenotypic modulation. Our goal was to characterize SMC miRNAome and its contribution to transcriptome changes during phenotypic modulation. Small RNA sequencing revealed that dedifferentiation led to the differential expression of over 50 miRNAs in cultured SMC. miRNA/mRNA comparison predicted that over a third of SMC transcript expression was regulated by differentially expressed miRNAs. Our screen identified the miR-200 cluster as highly downregulated during dedifferentiation. miR-200 maintains SMC quiescence and represses proliferation, migration, and neointima formation, in part by targeting Quaking, a central SMC phenotypic switching mediator. Our study unraveled the substantial contribution of miRNAs in regulating the SMC transcriptome and identified the miR-200 cluster as a pro-quiescence mechanism and a potential inhibitor of vascular restenosis.