Abstract
Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells can be obtained from different parts of the umbilical cord, including Wharton's jelly. Transplantation of Wharton's jelly umbilical cord stem cells (WJCMSCs) is a promising strategy for the treatment of various diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the proliferation of WJCMSCs are incompletely understood. Here, we report that overexpression of miR-196b-5p in WJCMSCs suppresses proliferation and arrests the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase, whereas knockdown of miR-196b-5p promotes WJCMSC proliferation and cell-cycle progression. Moreover, miR-196b-5p overexpression resulted in decreased levels of Cyclin A, Cyclin D, Cyclin E and cyclin-dependent kinases 2 and increased levels of p15INK4b , whereas miR-196b-5p knockdown had the opposite effects. In conclusion, our data suggests that miR-196b-5p inhibits WJCMSC proliferation by enhancing G0/G1-phase arrest.