title: Expression of matrix Gla protein and osteocalcin in the developing tibial epiphysis of mice.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the expression of matrix Gla protein (MGP) and osteocalcin (OCN) in the tibial epiphysis of developing mice. At 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after birth, tibiae were removed and processed for histochemical observations and western blot analyses under anesthesia. To evaluate bone volume, the specimens were scanned with Micro CT Scanner from the articular cartilage through the growth plate, along the long axis of tibia. At 1 week after birth, OCN reactivity was faint in the region of vascular invasion, while hardly any MGP reactivity was discernible. Subsequently, MGP reactivity was seen on the cartilaginous lacunar walls of hypertrophic chondrocytes, while OCN reactivity was evenly found not only in the bone matrix, but also in the cartilaginous lacunar walls and on the bone surfaces. Furthermore, double-immunostaining clearly showed that MGP reactivity appeared closer to the cartilage matrix than OCN reactivity until postnatal week 3. Interestingly, the immunoreactivities for MGP and OCN both showed tidemarks in the articular cartilage at postnatal week 4, and MGP reactivity was more intense than OCN reactivity. Statistical analyses showed an overall upward trend in MGP and OCN expression levels during tibial epiphysis development, even though OCN was more abundant than MGP at every time-point. Taken together, our findings suggest that the expression of MGP and OCN increased gradually in the murine developing tibial epiphysis, and the two mineral-associated proteins may occur at the same location during a particular period, but at different levels.
authors: Department of Bone Metabolism, School of Stomatology Shandong University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Jinan, China.
authors: Hongrui
authors: H
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Bone Metabolism, School of Stomatology Shandong University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Jinan, China.
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Guo
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Stomatology Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
authors: Shanliang
authors: S
authors: Wei
authors: Department of Bone Metabolism, School of Stomatology Shandong University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Jinan, China.
authors: Shengyu
authors: S
authors: Lv
authors: Department of Bone Metabolism, School of Stomatology Shandong University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Jinan, China.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Feng
authors: Department of Bone Metabolism, School of Stomatology Shandong University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Jinan, China.
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Cui
authors: Department of Developmental Biology of Hard Tissue, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors: Tomoka
authors: T
authors: Hasegawa
authors: Department of Developmental Biology of Hard Tissue, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors: Hiromi
authors: H
authors: Hongo
authors: Department of Cell Biology, Shandong University Medical School, Jinan, China.
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Yang
authors: Department of Cell Biology, Shandong University Medical School, Jinan, China.
authors: Xiangzhi
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Division of Biochemistry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
authors: Kimimitsu
authors: K
authors: Oda
authors: Department of Developmental Biology of Hard Tissue, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors: Norio
authors: N
authors: Amizuka
authors: Department of Bone Metabolism, School of Stomatology Shandong University, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Jinan, China. liminqi@sdu.edu.cn.
authors: Minqi
authors: M
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004838:Epiphyses / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071681:Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase; D013977:Tibia / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D000097568:Matrix Gla Protein
chemical_list: D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D015675:Osteocalcin; D000071681:Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase; D000097568:Matrix Gla Protein