title: Global profiling of the gene expression and alternative splicing events during hypoxia-regulated chondrogenic differentiation in human cartilage endplate-derived stem cells.
abstract: The intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is initiated by cartilage endplate (CEP) degeneration and is characterised by reduced chondrification. Cartilage endplate-derived stem cells (CESCs) with chondrogenic differentiation abilities are responsible for the restoration of cartilage. CEP remains in an avascular and hypoxic microenvironment. In this study, we observed that the physiological hypoxia greatly promotes the chondrogenic differentiation of CESCs. This tissue specificity of the differentiation fate of CESCs in response to the hypoxic microenvironment was physiologically significant for the CEP to maintain the chondrification status. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the hypoxia-regulated chondrogenic differentiation of CESCs, we adopted a high-throughput scanning technology to detect the global profiling of gene expression and alternative splicing (AS) event changes during chondrogenic differentiation under hypoxia in CESCs compared to those induced under normoxia. An Affymetrix Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 was used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and alternatively spliced genes (ASGs). After RT-PCR validation, GO and KEGG pathway analyses of both the DEGs and ASGs were performed. The enrichment of the GO functional terms and signalling pathways provided referential direction of the mechanism to study the gene expression and AS in the hypoxia-regulated chondrogenesis promotion, which could be helpful in understanding this physiological phenomenon, and it could also be instrumental in finding targets for CEP degeneration therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Weilin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Qiyue
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China. Electronic address: 20016040@163.com.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China. Electronic address: happyzhou@vip.163.com.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000235:genetics; D020219:Chondrogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology
keywords: Alternative splicing; Cell differentiation; Gene expression profiling; High-throughput scanning technology; Hypoxia; Stem cells