| First Author | Mikic B | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | J Orthop Res | Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 7 | Pages | 986-90 |
| PubMed ID | 18302280 | Mgi Jnum | J:237179 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5811231 | Doi | 10.1002/jor.20574 |
| Citation | Mikic B, et al. (2008) Accelerated hypertrophic chondrocyte kinetics in GDF-7 deficient murine tibial growth plates. J Orthop Res 26(7):986-90 |
| abstractText | The Growth/Differentiation Factors (GDFs) are a subgroup of the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) well known for their role in joint formation and chondrogenesis. Mice deficient in one of these signaling molecules, GDF-5, have recently been shown to exhibit a decreased rate of endochondral bone growth in the proximal tibia due to a significantly longer hypertrophic phase duration. GDF-7 is a related family member, which exhibits a high degree of sequence identity with GDF-5. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether GDF-7 deficiency also alters the endochondral bone growth rate in mice and, if so, how this is achieved. Stereologic and cell kinetic parameters in proximal tibial growth plates from 5-week-old female GDF-7 -/- mice and wild type control littermates were examined. GDF-7 deficiency resulted in a statistically significant increase in growth rate (+26%; p = 0.0084) and rate of cell loss at the chondrosseous junction (+25%; p = 0.0217). Cells from GDF-7 deficient mice also exhibited a significantly shorter hypertrophic phase duration compared to wild type controls (-27%; p = 0.0326). These data demonstrate that, in the absence of GDF-7, the rate of endochondral bone growth is affected through the modulation of hypertrophic phase duration in growth plate chondrocytes. These findings further support a growing body of evidence implicating the GDFs in the formation, maturation, and maintenance of healthy cartilage. |
