HL-1 is a cell line that shows a phenotype similar to adult cardiomyocytes. All major cardiac cell types release extracellular vesicles (EVs) that emerge as key mediators of intercellular communication. EVs can mediate intercellular cross-talk through the transfer of specific microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs are known to play important regulatory roles during tissue differentiation and regeneration processes. Furthermore, miRNAs have recently been shown to be involved in the proliferation of adult cardiomyocytes. In this context, the purpose of this study was to analyze the transcriptomic profile of miRNAs expressed from HL-1 cardiac muscle cell-derived EVs, using next generation sequencing (NGS). Specifically, our transcriptomic analysis showed that the EVs derived from our HL-1 cells contained miRNAs that induce blood vessel formation and increase cell proliferation. Indeed, our bioinformatics analysis revealed 26 miRNAs expressed in EVs derived from our HL-1 that target genes related to cardiovascular development. In particular, their targets are enriched for the following biological processes related to cardiovascular development: heart morphogenesis, positive regulation of angiogenesis, artery development, ventricular septum development, cardiac atrium development, and myoblast differentiation. Consequently, EVs could become important in the field of regenerative medicine.
Keywords: HL-1 cardiac cells; extracellular vesicles; microRNAs; next generation sequencing.