title: RASSF7 expression and its regulatory roles on apoptosis in human intervertebral disc degeneration.
abstract: Apoptosis plays an important role in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Overwhelming evidence indicates that RASSF7 is essential for cell growth and apoptosis. Recently, it has been noted that the JNK signaling can be negatively regulated by suppressing phosphorylated-MKK7 activation during pro-apoptosis. We aimed to investigate the RASSF7 expression level in human degenerative nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and non-degenerative NP cells and the link between RASSF7-JNK with NP cells apoptosis. We harvested NP tissues from 20 IDD patients as disease group and 8 cadaveric donors as normal controls. We detected RASSF7 expression by Real-time-PCR and western blotting. Consequently, we found that the expression of RASSF7 was higher in non-degenerative group than in degenerative group (P<0.05). Overexpression of RASSF7 in degenerative NP cells led to decreased apoptosis rate than that in scramble group (P<0.05). Collectively, our findings suggest that RASSF7 plays an important role in human IDD and RASSF7 might be potentially developed as a curative agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xi'an Air Force Hospital, PLA 172 Youyi Eastern Road, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Heng
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University 127 Changle Western Road, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jun-Li
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Lanzhou General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Region, PLA Lanzhou, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University 127 Changle Western Road, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xi'an Air Force Hospital, PLA 172 Youyi Eastern Road, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR China.
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Samartzis
authors.affiliation: Institute for Surgical Technology and Biomechanics, Tissue and Organ Mechanobiology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gantenbein
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xi'an Air Force Hospital, PLA 172 Youyi Eastern Road, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shao-Di
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University 127 Changle Western Road, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Hai-Qiang
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D002102:Cadaver; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C092941:RASSF7 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: Intervertebral disc degeneration; JNK; RASSF7; apoptosis; nucleus pulposus