title: Unraveling the mechanism by which TRPV4 mutations cause skeletal dysplasias.
abstract: Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a mechano- and osmosensitive cation channel that is highly expressed in chondrocytes, the cells in cartilage. A large number of mutations in TRPV4 have been linked to skeletal dysplasias, and the goal of this addendum is to shed light on the mechanisms by which mutations in TRPV4 can cause skeletal dysplasias by focusing on 3 recent publications. These papers suggest that skeletal dysplasia-causing TRPV4 mutations reprogram chondrocytes to increase follistatin production, which inhibits BMP signaling, thus slowing the process of endochondral ossification and leading to skeletal dysplasia. In spite of these important advances in our understanding of the disease mechanism, much remains to be elucidated. Nonetheless, these new data suggest that inhibiting aberrant TRPV4 activity in the cartilage may be a promising direction for therapeutic intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of orthopedic Surgery; Duke University Medical Center ; Durham, NC USA.
authors.forename: Holly A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Leddy
authors.affiliation: Department of orthopedic Surgery; Duke University Medical Center ; Durham, NC USA.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: McNulty
authors.affiliation: Department of orthopedic Surgery; Duke University Medical Center ; Durham, NC USA.
authors.forename: Farshid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guilak
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Duke University Clinics for Pain and Palliative Care; Duke University Medical Center ; Durham, NC USA.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liedtke
keywords: arthritis; arthropathy; bone morphogenetic protein; brachyolmia; calcium signaling; cartilage; growth plate; osteoarthritis; skeletal dysplasia