SDC4 drives fibrotic remodeling of the intervertebral disc under altered spinal loading.

ABSTRACT: Alterations in physiological loading of the spine are deleterious to intervertebral disc health. The base of the mouse caudal spine region Ca3-6 that naturally experiences increased flexion, showed adaptive tissue remodeling, reminiscent of disc degeneration in young adult mice. Given the role of Syndecan 4 (SDC4), a cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan in disc matrix turnover and mechanosensing, we investigated if deletion could mitigate this loading-dependent phenotype. Notably, at spinal levels Ca3-6, Sdc4-knockout (KO) mice did not exhibit increased collagen fibril and fibronectin deposition in the nucleus pulposus (NP) compartment or showed the alterations in collagen crosslinks observed in wild-type mice. Similarly, unlike wild-type mice, NP cells in Sdc4-KO mice retained transg

SUBMITTER: Sao K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12500954 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature