title: Expression and regulation of WISP2 in rheumatoid arthritic synovium.
abstract: Numbers of growth factors expressed in the synovium deeply impact on the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The WISP family was identified as growth factors, which are upregulated by WNT signaling. In the present study, we investigated expression pattern and regulatory mechanisms of WISPs in the synovium in patients with RA and osteoarthritis (OA). Among three members of WISP family, WISP2 mRNA was only preferentially detected in RA synovium by RT-PCR. WISP2 expression was immunohistochemically identified in RA fibroblasts in an extensive fibrotic area. WNT signaling-activated (s/abeta-catenin-expressing) synovial fibroblasts upregulated WISP2 at 2.9-fold, but -inactivated (Deltabeta-catenin-expressing) cells downregulated the expression. Quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated that WISP2 expression was increased upon 17-beta-estradiol stimulation and synergistically enhanced by WNT signaling. These data demonstrate that the expression of WISP2 is synergistically upregulated in RA synovial fibroblasts by estrogen and WNT pathways, and suggest an involvement in the pathology of the disease.
authors.affiliation: General Dentistry at Tokyo, School of Dentistry at Tokyo, The Nippon Dental University, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okuse
authors.forename: Masayori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirakawa
authors.forename: Kazushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imai
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055511:CCN Intercellular Signaling Proteins; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051153:Wnt Proteins
chemical_list: D055511:CCN Intercellular Signaling Proteins; C413323:CCN5 protein, human; D004967:Estrogens; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins