NFAT1 protects articular cartilage against osteoarthritic degradation by directly regulating transcription of specific anabolic and catabolic genes.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Adult mice lacking the transcription factor NFAT1 exhibit osteoarthritis (OA). The precise molecular mechanism for NFAT1 deficiency-induced osteoarthritic cartilage degradation remains to be clarified. This study aimed to investigate if NFAT1 protects articular cartilage (AC) against OA by directly regulating the transcription of specific catabolic and anabolic genes in articular chondrocytes.

Methods

Through a combined approach of gene expression analysis and web-based searching of NFAT1 binding sequences, 25 candidate target genes that displayed aberrant expression in Nfat1 ^-/- AC at the initiation stage of OA, and possessed at least four NFAT1 binding sites in the promoter of each gene, were selected and tested for NFAT1 transcriptional activi

SUBMITTER: Zhang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6397328 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature