CD24 is expressed specifically in the nucleus pulposus of intervertebral discs.
Intervertebral disc (IVD) consists of a soft gelatinous material in its center, the nucleus pulposus (NP), bounded peripherally by fibrocartilage, annulus fibrosus (AF). Despite the number of patients with IVD degeneration, gene expression analysis has not been undertaken in NP and therefore little is known about the molecular markers expressed in NP. Here, we undertook a microarray screen in NP with the other nine tissues to identify the specific cell surface markers for NP. Five membrane associating molecules out of 10,490 genes were identified as highly expressing genes in NP compared with the other tissues. Among them, we identified CD24, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor protein as a cell surface marker for NP. CD24 expression was also detected in the herniated NP and chordoma, a malignant primary tumor derived from notochordal cells, while it was absent in chondrosarcoma. Therefore, CD24 is a molecular marker for NP as well as the diseases of IVD.
Fujita
Nobuyuki
N
Department of Cell Differentiation, The Sakaguchi Laboratory, Japan; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
Miyamoto
Takeshi
T
Imai
Jun-ichi
J
Hosogane
Naobumi
N
Suzuki
Toru
T
Yagi
Mitsuru
M
Morita
Kozo
K
Ninomiya
Ken
K
Miyamoto
Kana
K
Takaishi
Hironari
H
Matsumoto
Morio
M
Morioka
Hideo
H
Yabe
Hiroo
H
Chiba
Kazuhiro
K
Watanabe
Shinya
S
Toyama
Yoshiaki
Y
Suda
Toshio
T
D000818:Animals; D051927:CD24 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism; D002817:Chordoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D040081:Protein Array Analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism
D051927:CD24 Antigen