The ECM is the key structural component determining dilatation and aneurysm formation in the aortic wall. 8 Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are characterized by loss of elastin and increased collagen turnover. Apart from miR-29, the miR-15 family has been implicated in collagen remodeling and the characteristic postnatal silencing of elastin.9 The miR-15 family consists of 6 highly conserved microRNAs (miR-15a, miR15b, miR-16-1, miR-16-2, miR-195, and miR-497), which are clustered on 3 separate chromosomes. They have a common seed region (AGCAGCA) and varying degrees of sequence homology in the 3′ region of the mature microRNA.

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