title: TGF-β signaling plays an essential role in the growth and maintenance of intervertebral disc tissue.
abstract: TGF-β signaling plays a critical role in cartilage and spine tissue development at embryonic stage but its role in postnatal intervertebral disc (IVD) tissue growth and maintenance remain poorly understood. In the present studies, we have deleted the Tgfbr2 gene in inner annulus fibrosus cells of the disc tissue and surrounding growth plate chondrocytes using Col2a1-CreER(T2) transgenic mice. We found that TGF-β signaling is required for normal growth plate cartilage and endplate cartilage growth at postnatal stage. The expression of Mmp13 gene is significantly up-regulated in primary disc cells of Tgfbr2 conditional knockout mice. Deletion of the Mmp13 gene under Tgfbr2 null background completely reverses the abnormal disc phenotype found in Tgfbr2 knockout mice.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Hongting
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Baoli
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Meina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006132:Growth Plate / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; C447413:Col2a1 protein, mouse; D024043:Collagen Type II; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; D013629:Tamoxifen; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13; C507081:Mmp13 protein, mouse