Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, The Equine Clinic, B41, 4000 Sart Timan, Belgium.
J Orthop Res. 2010 Jul;28(7):965-70. doi: 10.1002/jor.21089.
Osteochondrosis (OC) is a developmental disease that affects growing horses and that severely affects their ability to perform. The genetic basis of its pathogenesis is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to analyze the transcript profile of leukocytes from horses affected with OC. Two transcriptome libraries were constructed from leukocytes of OC-affected and non-OC-affected horses using digital gene expression analysis (DGE) and real-time PCR. Statistical analysis allowed selection of 1,008 tags upregulated in the non-OC-affected group and 1,545 tags upregulated in the OC-affected group. Among these genes, 16 regulated genes and 5 housekeeping genes were selected. Metabolic pathways analysis showed an obvious dysregulation of several signaling pathways related to cartilage formation or cartilage repair, including Wnt, Indian hedgehog, and TGF-beta signaling. Other genes, including ISG, ApoB, MGAT4, and TBC1D9, showed a significantly different expression between groups. These genes may play a role in high carbohydrate diet, abnormal insulin metabolism, or inflammation, mechanisms suspected to be involved in OC. This DGE analysis of the transcript profile of leukocytes from OC-affected horses demonstrated significant differences in comparison to the control library. These results open new perspectives for the understanding of equine OC.
骨软骨病（OC）是一种影响生长中的马的发育性疾病，严重影响其运动能力。其发病机制的遗传基础尚未完全了解。本研究旨在分析患 OC 的马的白细胞的转录谱。使用数字基因表达分析（DGE）和实时 PCR 从患 OC 和非患 OC 的马的白细胞中构建了两个转录组文库。统计分析选择了在非 OC 组中上调的 1008 个标签和在 OC 组中上调的 1545 个标签。在这些基因中，选择了 16 个调节基因和 5 个管家基因。代谢途径分析显示，与软骨形成或软骨修复相关的几个信号通路明显失调，包括 Wnt、印度刺猬和 TGF-β信号通路。其他基因，包括 ISG、ApoB、MGAT4 和 TBC1D9，在两组之间表达差异显著。这些基因可能在高碳水化合物饮食、异常胰岛素代谢或炎症中发挥作用，这些机制被怀疑与 OC 有关。对患 OC 的马白细胞的转录谱进行的这种 DGE 分析与对照文库相比显示出明显的差异。这些结果为理解马的 OC 开辟了新的视角。
