Wuelling Manuela, Vortkamp Andrea
Endocr Dev. 2011;21:1-11. doi: 10.1159/000328081. Epub 2011 Aug 22.
The skeletal elements of the axial and appendicular skeleton are preformed as cartilage templates by a mechanism called endochondral ossification. During this process, a cartilage template is formed in which chondrocytes proliferate and differentiate into hypertrophic chondrocytes and are gradually replaced by bone. Postnatally, remnants of embryonic chondrocytes remain in a restricted domain between the ossified regions of the bones forming the growth plate. The coordinated proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes ensures the continuous elongation of the epiphyseal growth plates. The sequential changes between proliferation and differentiation are tightly regulated by secreted growth factors, which activate chondrocyte-specific transcription factors. Transcription factors that play critical roles in regulating cell type-specific gene expression include SOX9, GLI2/3 and RUNX2. This review will outline recent advances in the analysis of the complex transcriptional network that regulates distinct steps of chondrocyte differentiation.
轴骨骼和附属骨骼的骨骼成分通过一种称为软骨内成骨的机制预先形成软骨模板。在此过程中，形成一个软骨模板，其中软骨细胞增殖并分化为肥大软骨细胞，然后逐渐被骨替代。出生后，胚胎软骨细胞的残余物保留在形成生长板的骨骼骨化区域之间的一个受限区域中。软骨细胞的协调增殖和分化确保了骨骺生长板的持续延长。增殖和分化之间的顺序变化受到分泌的生长因子的严格调控，这些生长因子激活软骨细胞特异性转录因子。在调节细胞类型特异性基因表达中起关键作用的转录因子包括SOX9、GLI2/3和RUNX2。本综述将概述调节软骨细胞分化不同步骤的复杂转录网络分析的最新进展。
