MiR-34c represses muscle development by forming a regulatory loop with Notch1

Since pork accounts for about 40% of global meat consumption, the pig is an important economic animal for meat production. Pig is also a useful medical model for humans due to its similarity in size and physiology. Understanding the mechanism of muscle development has great implication for animal breeding and human health. Previous studies showed porcine muscle satellite cells (PSCs) are important for postnatal skeletal muscle growth, and Notch1 signaling pathway and miRNAs regulate the skeletal muscle development. Notch1 signal pathway regulates the transcription of certain types of miRNAs which further affects target gene expression. However, the specific relationship between Notch1 and miRNAs during muscle development has not been established. We found miR-34c is decreased in PSCs overexpressed N1ICD. Through the overexpression and inhibition of mi-34c, we demonstrated that miR-34c inhibits PSCs proliferation and promotes PSCs differentiation. Using dual-luciferase reporter assay and Chromatin immunoprecipitation, we demonstrate there is a reciprocal regulatory loop between Notch1 and miR-34c. Furthermore, injection of miR-34c lentivirus into mice caused repression of gastrocnemius muscle development. In summary, our data revealed that miR-34c can form a regulatory loop with Notch1 to repress muscle development, and this result expands our understanding of muscle development mechanism.