RNA-seq from whole osteoarthritic murine knee joint induced by CiOA model and spontaneous age-related model in p21/mTERT transgenic mice and their littermate controls
When telomeres become excessively short, the cell enters senescence. At this point, it produces a protein called p21 in a significant manner. Only a protein called telomerase is capable of lengthening telomeres, but it is not present in adult cells. The aim of this project is to assess and study the benefit provided by telomerase in the context of osteoarthritis (using the CiOA preclinical model). We will utilize heterozygous transgenic mice: p21/mTERT, which possess a preserved copy of p21, along with the transgene. Therefore, we will need to compare our mice with control mice: p21+/+ that do not express the transgene. For each genotype, we will induce osteoarthritis pathology (CiOA) and compare it with the Sham group. In addition, we investigated whether ectopic expression of telomerase could protect aged mice against age-related osteoarthritis. Each group is in triplicate.