title: Lentiviral-encoded shRNA silencing of proteoglycan decorin enhances tendon repair and regeneration within a rat model.
abstract: Injured tendons often heal with scar tissue formation, resulting in uniformly smaller collagen fibrils and poor mechanical properties. The small leucine-rich proteoglycan decorin is well known to regulate fusion of collagen fibrils. Rat patellar tendon cells were transfected with lentiviral-encoded shRNA that specifically targets decorin. Silencing of decorin expression resulted in decreased cell growth. Three types of scaffold-free engineered tendons with different mix ratios of anti-decorin shRNA-treated cells to untreated cells at 1:0 (DCN), 1:1 (MIX), and 0:1 (CON) were utilized for repair of injured patellar tendons. Four weeks after implantation in situ, the MIX group manifested the best results (best coordination of histology, more mature collagen deposition, and larger collagen fibril diameter). Although the DCN group exhibited the largest collagen fibril diameter, this was associated with abnormal shape. Hence, regulation of decorin expression to an appropriate level is crucial for tendon repair with gene therapy.
authors.affiliation: Center for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Guo-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: You-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Boon Chin
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Heng
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Lin-Lin
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Hong-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Ouyang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D003094:Collagen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058575:Decorin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D023421:Models, Animal; D017847:Patellar Ligament / Q000502:physiology*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012038:Regeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D058575:Decorin; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D003094:Collagen