In contrast to the consistently upregulation of MEG3 following ischemia (Fig. 2b, middle), miR-21 was abruptly decreased at 24 h of reperfusion, and then downregulated at a much slower pace at 48 h and 72 h in the ischemic core, indicating its potential role in ischemia (Fig. 2b, right). Here, MEG3 is linked to ischemia.