Ablating hedgehog signaling in tenocytes during development impairs biomechanics and matrix organization of the adult murine patellar tendon enthesis.

ABSTRACT: Restoring the native structure of the tendon enthesis, where collagen fibers of the midsubstance are integrated within a fibrocartilaginous structure, is problematic following injury. As current surgical methods fail to restore this region adequately, engineers, biologists, and clinicians are working to understand how this structure forms as a prerequisite to improving repair outcomes. We recently reported on the role of Indian hedgehog (Ihh), a novel enthesis marker, in regulating early postnatal enthesis formation. Here, we investigate how inactivating the Hh pathway in tendon cells affects adult (12-week) murine patellar tendon (PT) enthesis mechanics, fibrocartilage morphology, and collagen fiber organization. We show that ablating Hh signaling resulted in greater than 100% increased f

SUBMITTER: Breidenbach AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4706742 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature