Fig. 1

MiR-205 expression is decreased during the process of DO. a Canine model of MDO. At the end of the distraction phase (DO14) and 2 weeks of consolidation (DO28), callus samples from the distraction gap were harvested for small RNA-seq. b Heatmap of small RNA-seq results. The top ten up- or downregulated miRNAs were identified. c qPCR results revealed that miR-205 exhibited the greatest fold-change in expression levels (n = 10 per group). d The expression of miR-205 during different stages of DO. The expression of miR-205 gradually decreased before finally plateauing after 4 weeks of consolidation (day 42). e ECFCs and serum isolated on DO28 were found to express less miR-205 than those from DO21, DO14, and DO7 samples, with the expression of this miRNA decreasing over time. f The levels of circulating VEGF in serum from DO28 animals were also significantly higher than in serum from other DO time points. g, h Vascular markers (CD31 and VEGF) were upregulated in the distraction callus during DO (N.S, no significance; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001)