Runx2 haploinsufficiency ameliorates the development of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

ABSTRACT: Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL) is a disease that is characterized by the ectopic calcification of the ligament; however, the pathogenesis of OPLL remains to be investigated. We attempted to identify the in vivo role of Runx2, a master regulator of osteoblast differentiation and skeletal mineralization, in the pathogenesis of OPLL. The expression of Runx2 in the ligament was examined using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry and by monitoring the activity of a LacZ gene that was inserted into the Runx2 gene locus. To investigate the functional role of Runx2, we studied ENPP1(ttw/ttw) mice, a mouse model of OPLL, that were crossed with heterozygous Runx2 mice to decrease the expression of Runx2, and we performed histological and quantitative radiologica

SUBMITTER: Iwasaki M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3424156 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature