REST is a direct target of miR-29a.

<p>(A) miR-29a and miR-29b are predicted to target REST upon the neuronal differentiation of MSCs. (B) Predicted REST 3′-UTR binding sites for miR-29a. The alignment of the seed regions of miR-29a with REST 3′ UTR are shown. (C) REST is a target of miR-29a. pmirGLO luciferase construct containing a wild type (wt) or mutated (mut) REST 3′-UTR was co-transfected with miR-29a precursor or scramble control in 293 cells and the luciferase assay was performed. Mean and SEM of 3 independent MSC cultures are shown. *: <i>P</i><0.01, compared with Control.