Oichi Takeshi, Otsuru Satoru, Usami Yu, Enomoto-Iwamoto Motomi, Iwamoto Masahiro
Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan.
Bone. 2020 Aug;137:115368. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2020.115368. Epub 2020 May 4.
Wnt signaling together with other signaling pathways governs cartilage development and the growth plate function during long bone formation and growth. β-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling is a specific lineage determinant of skeletal mesenchymal cells toward chondrogenic or osteogenic direction. Once cartilage forms and the growth plate organize, Wnt signaling continues to regulate proliferation and differentiation of the growth plate chondrocytes. Although chondrocytes in the growth plate have a high capacity to proliferate, new cells must be supplied to the growth plate from chondroprogenitor population. Advances in in vivo cell tracking techniques have demonstrated the importance of Wnt signaling in driving tissue renewal. The Wnt-responsive cells, genetically marked by the Wnt-reporter system, are found as stem cells in various tissues. Similarly, Wnt-responsive cells are found in the periphery of the growth plate and expanded to constitute entire column structure, indicating that Wnt signaling participates in the regulation of chondroprogenitors in the growth plate. This review will discuss advancements in research of progenitors in the growth plate, specifically focusing on Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
在长骨形成和生长过程中，Wnt信号通路与其他信号通路共同调控软骨发育和生长板功能。β-连环蛋白依赖性Wnt信号通路是骨骼间充质细胞向软骨生成或成骨方向分化的特定谱系决定因素。一旦软骨形成且生长板组织化，Wnt信号通路会持续调节生长板软骨细胞的增殖和分化。尽管生长板中的软骨细胞具有较高的增殖能力，但必须从软骨祖细胞群体向生长板供应新的细胞。体内细胞追踪技术的进展已证明Wnt信号通路在驱动组织更新中的重要性。通过Wnt报告系统进行基因标记的Wnt反应性细胞在各种组织中被发现为干细胞。同样，在生长板周边发现了Wnt反应性细胞，并扩展形成整个柱状结构，这表明Wnt信号通路参与了生长板中软骨祖细胞的调控。本综述将讨论生长板中祖细胞的研究进展，特别关注Wnt/β-连环蛋白信号通路。
