title: Regional differences of type II collagen synthesis in the human temporomandibular joint disc: immunolocalization study of carboxy-terminal type II procollagen peptide (chondrocalcin).
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the regional differences of distribution of the carboxy-terminal type II procollagen peptide (pCOL-II-C; chondrocalcin) as markers of cartilaginous expression in the human temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc. Twelve human TMJ discs without morphologic abnormalities were obtained from 12 fresh cadavers. All specimens were analysed for pCOL-II-C expression using polyclonal rabbit anti-human pCOL-II-C antibody in avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex staining. The results were demonstrated that the percentage of pCOL-II-C immunoreactive disc cells was significantly higher in the outer part (the articular surfaces) than in the inner part (the deep central areas) of the disc. These findings suggest that the tissue heterogeneity of cartilaginous expression reflects the functional demands of the remodelling process in the human TMJ disc.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dental Medicine, Tsurumi University, 2-1-3 Tsurumi Tsurumi-ku, Yokokama 230-8501, Japan. kondo-t@tsurumi-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshirou
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondoh
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iino
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Kyousuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujikawa
authors.forename: Kannichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D019224:Temporomandibular Joint Disc / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D024043:Collagen Type II; C040072:chondrocalcin; D003094:Collagen