title: Involvement of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase II in chondrocyte hypertrophy during endochondral ossification.
abstract: During vertebrate skeletal development, the appendicular skeleton forms through endochondral ossification, which involves the intricately regulated multistep differentiation of mesenchymal cells. During this process, mesenchymal condensations initially differentiate into chondrocytes. Then chondrocytes in the center further differentiate into hypertrophic chondrocytes. Hypertrophic chondrocytes express a number of osteogenic factors and induce bone formation. Although numerous studies have provided novel insights into the regulation and function of cartilage development, little is known about the intracellular signaling pathways regulating chondrocyte hypertrophy. Recent study revealed that cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase II (cGKII) coupled the stop of proliferation and the start of hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes. Herein, we review the molecular mechanism of regulation of chondrocyte hypertrophy by cGKII and the interaction between cGKII and other signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Division of Sensory and Motor System Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan. kugimiyaf-ort@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kugimiya
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chikuda
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamekura
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogasawara
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Ung-Il
authors.initials: UI
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi