title: Age-related changes in the expression of cadherin-11, the mesenchyme specific calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule.
abstract: Cadherin-11 is a calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule that is expressed in cells of the mesenchymal lineage during embryonic development. In this study we show, for the first time, that cadherin-11 gene is expressed in the bone marrow and bone cells obtained from rabbits of various age groups. Furthermore, a quantitative measurement of gene expression revealed that cadherin-11 was expressed in young rabbits (6 week-old: open epiphysis) at a level of 6.7 x 10(5) +/- 0.7 x 10(5) molecules; in mature rabbits (8-10 month-old: closed epiphysis) at 11 x 10(5) +/- 0.9 x 10(5) molecules; and in aged rabbits (4-5 year-old) at a level of 1.2 x 10(5) +/- 0.2 x 10(5) molecules/microg total RNA. The relative level of cadherin-11 gene expression in mature rabbit marrow was found to be approximately 50% greater than in young rabbits. However, aged animals showed a reduction in cadherin-11 specific gene expression of greater than 900% as compared with mature animals. Age-related changes in bone remodeling/turnover lead to reduced bone density and high fracture risk, and since cadherins play a crucial role in tissue morphogenesis, this marked decrease may represent an index of the aging process in bone.
authors.affiliation: University of California San Diego, Orthopaedic Connective Tissue Biochemistry, 9500 Gilman Dr. Dept. 0630, La Jolla, California 92093-0630, USA.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Goomer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maris
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amiel
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics*; D002118:Calcium; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C086960:osteoblast cadherin; D002118:Calcium