The role of miRNA in stem cell pluripotency and commitment to the vascular endothelial lineage

Vascular endothelial cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells have substantial potential for the development of novel vascular therapeutics and cell-based therapies for the repair of ischemic damage. To gain maximum benefit from this source of cells, a complete understanding of the changes in gene expression and how they are regulated is required. miRNAs have been demonstrated to play a critical role in controlling stem cell pluripotency and differentiation and are important for mature endothelial cell function. Specific miRNAs that determine stem cell fate have been identified for a number of different cell lineages; however, in the case of differentiation and specification of vascular endothelial cells, this is yet to be fully elucidated.