| First Author | Gruber BL | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | BMC Res Notes | Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 78 |
| PubMed ID | 32066496 | Mgi Jnum | J:285605 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6392117 | Doi | 10.1186/s13104-020-4906-8 |
| Citation | Gruber BL, et al. (2020) Tenascin-C expression controls the maturation of articular cartilage in mice. BMC Res Notes 13(1):78 |
| abstractText | OBJECTIVE: Expression of the de-adhesive extracellular matrix protein tenascin-C (TNC) is associated with the early postnatal development of articular cartilage which is both load-dependent and associated with chondrocyte differentiation. We assessed morphological changes in the articular cartilage of TNC deficient mice at postnatal ages of 1, 4 and 8 weeks compared to age-matched wildtype mice. RESULTS: Cartilage integrity was assessed based on hematoxylin and eosin stained-sections from the tibial bone using a modified Mankin score. Chondrocyte density and cartilage thickness were assessed morphometrically. TNC expression was localized based on immunostaining. At 8 weeks of age, the formed tangential/transitional zone of the articular cartilage was 27% thicker and the density of chondrocytes in the articular cartilage was 55% lower in wildtype than the TNC-deficient mice. TNC protein expression was associated with chondrocytes. No relevant changes were found in mice at 1 and 4 weeks of age. The findings indicate a role of tenascin-C in the post-natal maturation of the extracellular matrix in articular cartilage. This might be a compensatory mechanism to strengthen resilience against mechanical stress. |
