Upregulation of MicroRNA-126 Contributes to Endothelial Progenitor Cell Function in Deep Vein Thrombosis via Its Target PIK3R2

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common complication of surgery. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are recruited into resolving venous thrombi. In this report, we investigated the effects of miR-126 on EPCs function and venous thrombus resolution. We demonstrated that overexpression of miR-126 enhanced EPCs' migration and tubulogenic activity in vitro, and promoted EPCs' homing and thrombus resolving in vivo. Moreover, we identified that miR-126 directly targeted PIK3R2 and affected PI3K/Akt signaling axis. Overall, our findings demonstrated that miR-126 promoted EPCs function through suppressing PIK3R2 expression and modulation of miR-126 may represent a potential therapeutic intervention for treating DVT. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 1613-1623, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.