title: Musculoskeletal connective tissue cells with muscle: expression of muscle actin in and contraction of fibroblasts, chondrocytes, and osteoblasts.
abstract: The expression of the gene for a muscle actin in certain nonmuscle cells and the contraction of these connective tissue cells has been associated with several important physiological and pathological processes; the contraction of healing skin wounds and the contracture in Dupuytren's disease being two notable examples. Studies in recent years have shown that a much wider variety of connective tissue cells than previously considered, including cells in many of the musculoskeletal tissues, e.g., chondrocytes and osteoblasts, can express the gene for alpha-smooth muscle actin and can display contractile behavior. These findings suggest that muscle actin-enabled cell contraction may also be playing important roles in the other connective tissues comprising the musculoskeletal system, namely, tendon, ligament, meniscus, intervertebral disc, articular cartilage, and bone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. mspector@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spector
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000166:cytology; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000199:Actins