Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan.
FEBS Lett. 2011 Oct 3;585(19):3033-40. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2011.08.024. Epub 2011 Aug 23.
Identification and characterization of local molecules directing the differentiation of chondrocytes to either transient or permanent cartilage are major issues in cartilage biology. Here, we found CCN family protein 3 (CCN3) was abundantly produced in rat developing epiphyseal cartilage. Evaluations in vitro showed that CCN3 repressed epiphyseal chondrocyte proliferation, while promoting matrix production in multiple assays performed. Furthermore, CCN3 enhanced the articular chondrocytic phenotype; whereas it repressed the one representing endochondral ossification. Additionally, the phenotype of growth plate chondrocytes and chondrogenic progenitors also appeared to be affected by CCN3 in a similar manner. These findings suggest a significant role of CCN3 in inducing chondrocytes to articular ones during joint formation.
鉴定和描述指导软骨细胞向短暂或永久软骨分化的局部分子是软骨生物学中的主要问题。在这里，我们发现富含蛋白 3（CCN3）在大鼠发育性骺软骨中大量产生。体外评估表明，CCN3 抑制骺软骨细胞增殖，同时在多种检测中促进基质生成。此外，CCN3 增强了关节软骨细胞表型；而抑制了代表软骨内骨化的表型。此外，CCN3 似乎以类似的方式影响生长板软骨细胞和软骨祖细胞的表型。这些发现表明 CCN3 在关节形成过程中诱导软骨细胞向关节软骨细胞分化方面具有重要作用。
