IFRD2 regulates myogenic differentiation of bovine skeletal muscle satellite cells through the ERK1/2 pathway

Abstract The proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle satellite cells is a complex physiological process in which many transcription factors and small RNA molecules are involved. In this study, interferon-related development factor 2 (IFRD2) was identified as a target gene of bta-miRNA-2400 involved in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of bovine skeletal MDSCs (Muscle-derived satellite cells, MDSCs). The results indicate that bta-miR-2400 can target bind the 3'UTR of IFRD2 and inhibit its translation. mRNA and protein expression levels of IFRD2 increased significantly with increasing days of differentiation. Overexpression of the IFRD2 gene inhibited the proliferation and promoted the differentiation of bovine MDSCs. Conversely, the knockdown of the gene had the opposite effect. Overexpression of IFRD2 resulted in the inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation levels in bovine MDSCs, which in turn promoted differentiation. In summary, IFRD2, as a target gene of bta-miR-2400, affects bovine skeletal muscle proliferation and differentiation by regulating ERK1/2 phosphorylation.