In-Vivo Nucleus Pulposus-Specific Regulation of Adult Murine Intervertebral Disc Degeneration via Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling.

ABSTRACT: B-Catenin, transcription factor of Wnt signaling, is promoted in patients with intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, but Wnt signaling decreases with aging. We hypothesize that IVD degeneration is associated with decreased Wnt signaling despite more b-Catenin. Chronic compression of tail IVDs of young-adult and aged Wnt-reporter (TOPGAL) animals initiated an age-related cascade of degenerative-like changes, which included reduced Wnt ligand expression and Wnt signaling in nucleus pulposus cells, despite elevation of b-Catenin protein and gene expression. To determine the effect of upregulated and downregulated Wnt signaling in adult discs, b-Catenin in the nucleus pulposus was stabilized (Shh-CreEr^T2/b-Catenin^{fl(Ex3)/fl(Ex3)}, cACT) or knocked out (Shh-CreEr^T2</

SUBMITTER: Holguin N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6060169 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature