microRNAs (
miRNAs) regulate
messenger RNA (
mRNA) abundance and translation during key developmental processes including muscle differentiation. Assessment of
miRNA targets can provide insight into muscle biology and gene expression profiles altered by disease.
mRNA and
miRNA libraries were generated from C2C12 myoblasts during differentiation, and predicted
miRNA targets were identified based on presence of
miRNA binding sites and reciprocal expression. Seventeen
miRNAs were differentially expressed at all time intervals (comparing days 0, 2, and 5) of differentiation.
mRNA targets of differentially expressed
miRNAs were enriched for functions related to calcium signaling and sarcomere formation. To evaluate this relationship in a disease state, we evaluated the
miRNAs differentially expressed in human
congenital myotonic dystrophy (CMD) myoblasts and compared with normal control. Seventy-four
miRNAs were differentially expressed during healthy human myocyte maturation, of which only 12 were also up- or downregulated in CMD patient cells. The 62
miRNAs that were only differentially expressed in healthy cells were compared with differentiating C2C12 cells. Eighteen of the 62 were conserved in mouse and up- or down-regulated during mouse myoblast differentiation, and their C2C12 targets were enriched for functions related to muscle differentiation and contraction.