title: Glycobiology and the growth plate: current concepts in multiple hereditary exostoses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple hereditary exostoses, also termed as multiple osteochondromas, is a heritable disorder of connective tissue with primarily orthopaedic clinical manifestations. Understanding of its biological underpinnings has been advanced on a variety of fronts in recent years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The multifaceted literature regarding osteochondromagenesis and the major clinical challenges in patients with multiple osteochondromas were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consideration of recent advances in molecular biology, biochemistry, and animal modeling of osteochondroma pathogenesis yields a unified model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mechanistic details and therapeutic targets have yet to be elucidated, but the general biology of osteochondroma formation is increasingly clear, as well as its implications in the orthopaedic clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Center for Children's Cancer Research, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Primary Children's Medical Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005097:Exostoses, Multiple Hereditary / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D054794:Glycomics; D006132:Growth Plate; D006801:Humans