Runx2 is required for early stages of endochondral bone formation but delays final stages of bone repair in Axin2-deficient mice.

ABSTRACT: Runx2 and Axin2 regulate skeletal development. We recently determined that Axin2 and Runx2 molecularly interact in differentiating osteoblasts to regulate intramembranous bone formation, but the relationship between these factors in endochondral bone formation was unresolved. To address this, we examined the effects of Axin2 deficiency on the cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) phenotype of Runx2(+/-) mice, focusing on skeletal defects attributed to improper endochondral bone formation. Axin2 deficiency unexpectedly exacerbated calvarial components of the CCD phenotype in the Runx2(+/-) mice; the endocranial layer of the frontal suture, which develops by endochondral bone formation, failed to mineralize in Axin2(-/-):Runx2(+/-) mice, resulting in a cartilaginous, fibrotic and larger fontanel tha

SUBMITTER: McGee-Lawrence ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4125446 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature