| First Author | Li C | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Am J Pathol | Volume | 187 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 963-972 |
| PubMed ID | 28302495 | Mgi Jnum | J:241930 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5904061 | Doi | 10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.12.026 |
| Citation | Li C, et al. (2017) Neural EGFL-Like 1 Is a Downstream Regulator of Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 in Chondrogenic Differentiation and Maturation. Am J Pathol 187(5):963-972 |
| abstractText | Recent studies indicate that neural EGFL-like 1 (Nell-1), a secretive extracellular matrix molecule, is involved in chondrogenic differentiation. Herein, we demonstrated that Nell-1 serves as a key downstream target of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), a central regulator of chondrogenesis. Unlike in osteoblast lineage cells where Nell-1 and Runx2 demonstrate mutual regulation, further studies in chondrocytes revealed that Runx2 tightly regulates the expression of Nell-1; however, Nell-1 does not alter the expression of Runx2. More important, Nell-1 administration partially restored Runx2 deficiency-induced impairment of chondrocyte differentiation and maturation in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. Mechanistically, although the expression of Nell-1 is highly reliant on Runx2, the prochondrogenic function of Nell-1 persisted in Runx2-/- scenarios. The biopotency of Nell-1 is independent of the nuclear import and DNA binding functions of Runx2 during chondrogenesis. Nell-1 is a key functional mediator of chondrogenesis, thus opening up new possibilities for the application of Nell-1 in cartilage regeneration. |
