title: MicroRNA-21 controls the development of osteoarthritis by targeting GDF-5 in chondrocytes.
abstract: Osteoarthritis is a common cause of functional deterioration in older adults and is an immense burden on the aging population. Altered chondrogenesis is the most important pathophysiological process involved in the development of osteoarthritis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of chondrogenesis in patients with osteoarthritis requires further elucidation, particularly with respect to the role of microRNAs. MiR-21 expression in cartilage specimens was examined in 10 patients with knee osteoarthritis and 10 traumatic amputees. The effect of miR-21 on chondrogenesis was also investigated in a chondrocyte cell line. The effect of miR-21 on the expression of growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF-5) was further assessed by luciferase reporter assay and western blot. We found that endogenous miR-21 is upregulated in osteoarthritis patients, and overexpression of miR-21 could attenuate the process of chondrogenesis. Furthermore, we identified GDF-5 as the direct target of miR-21 during the regulation of chondrogenesis. Our data suggest that miR-21 has an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and is a potential therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yukun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Shuhua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Xianzhe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Shunan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D002356:Cartilage / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002460:Cell Line; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055428:Growth Differentiation Factor 5 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: C525893:GDF5 protein, human; D055428:Growth Differentiation Factor 5; C524940:MIRN21 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs