title: Expression of osteoprotegerin, RNAK and RANKL genes in femoral head avascular necrosis and related signaling pathway.
abstract: Femoral head avascular necrosis (AVN) causes the damage of hip joint and related dysfunctions, thus consisting of a clinical challenge. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK) and its ligand (RANKL) all regulate the formation of bones via gene transcriptional regulation for the balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. This study thus investigated the expressional profiles of OPG, RANK and RANKL genes in AVN patients, and explored related molecular mediating pathways. Real-time qPCR was used to measure the gene expression of OPG, RANK and RANKL genes in AVN femoral head tissue samples from 42 patients, along with normal tissues. Western blotting analysis was performed to quantify protein levels of OPG and RANKL. There was a trend but not statistically significant elevation of mRNA levels of OPG in femoral head AVN tissues compared to normal tissues (P>0.05). The expression of RNAK and RNAKL, however, was significantly elevated in necrotic tissues (P<0.05). No significant difference in protein levels of OPG or RANKL between groups. The expression of OPG, RANK and RANKL genes exert a crucial role in the progression of AVN, suggesting their roles in mediating bone homeostasis and potential effects on bone destruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Zhangqiu People's Hospital Jinan 250200, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Qingtang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Zhangqiu People's Hospital Jinan 250200, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Sibin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Zhangqiu People's Hospital Jinan 250200, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Zhangqiu People's Hospital Jinan 250200, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Zhangqiu People's Hospital Jinan 250200, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xueling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053244:Osteoprotegerin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D053245:RANK Ligand / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012307:Risk Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D059467:Transcriptome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; C505686:TNFRSF11A protein, human; C506030:TNFRSF11B protein, human; C505688:TNFSF11 protein, human
keywords: Femoral head avascular necrosis; gene expression regulation; ligand for receptor activator of nuclear factor κB; osteoprotegerin; receptor activator of nuclear factor κB