Project description:Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is majorly resulted from disordered extracellular matrix (ECM) metabolism, including decreased anabolism and increased catabolism activities in the nucleus pulposus (NP) cells of discs. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) are considered to be potent mediators of ECM loss. We reported previously that hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) inducer cobalt protoporphyrin IX (CoPP) could attenuate the ECM breakdown which induced by IL-1β, however, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here we found that autophagy family genes were involved in the HO-1 mediated anti-inflammatory processes in human NP cells by using high throughput RNA-Seq technique. These findings suggest that autophagy might play a role in inflammation related ECM metabolism disorder, thus offering a direction of our in-depth study and providing a framework for the searching of potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of IDD
Project description:Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) leads to low back pain and disability globally. The pathophysiology of IDD is not entirely understood. There is increasing evidence that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key regulatory role in a wide range of biological processes. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles of human intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues, specifically nucleus pulpous (NP) tissues, with early and advanced stages of disc degeneration. The overview of lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles in the current study revealed that differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were identified that have been reported to be relevant to IDD. Importantly, differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs that regulate the major signaling pathways, such as NF-κB, MAPK, and Wnt signaling, that are well known to be responsible for the pathogenesis of IDD.
Project description:Intervertebral disc degeneration is highly prevalent in the elderly population and is a leading cause of chronic back pain and disability. Studies have linked degenration with increased disc cell senescence. Likewise, senolytics such as Dasatinib + Quercetin combination may provide a novel approach to mitigate age-dependnt disc degeneration. We used microarrays to explore the transcriptomics of differentially expressed genes between aged disc compartments: AF vs NP at 23M, AF: D+Q vs Veh and NP: D+Q vs Veh.
Project description:The pathophysiology of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is not entirely understood; however, environmental and endogenous factors under genetic predisposition are considered to initiate the degenerative changes of human IVDs. Aberrant epigenetic alterations play a pivotal role in several diseases, including osteoarthritis. However, epigenetic alternations, including DNA methylation, in IVD degeneration have not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively compare the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of human IVD tissues, specifically nucleus pulpous (NP) tissues, with early and advanced stages of disc degeneration. We conducted, for the first time, a genome-wide DNA methylation profile comparative study and observed significant differences in DNA methylation profiles between early and advanced stages of human IVD degeneration. The overview of the DNA methylation profile in the current study revealed that differentially methylated loci were identified in many genes associated with known molecules that have been reported to be relevant to IVD degeneration. Importantly, changes in DNA methylation profiles were also found in genes that regulate the major signaling pathways, such as NF-κB, MAPK, and Wnt signaling, that are well known to be responsible for the pathogenesis of human disc degeneration.
Project description:Our studies show that TonEBP-deficiency causes pronounced degeneration of all three intervertebral disc compartments with greater incidence of herniation in the mouse. The disc phenotype is marked by extracellular matrix remodeling, actin cytoskeleton rearrangements, and suppressed proinflammatory gene expression, advancing our understanding of the contributions of TonEBP in intervertebral disc homeostasis and disease. We used microarray to explore the transcriptomics of differentially expressed genes of annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue in TonEBP haploinsufficient mice on a C57BL/6 background.
Project description:Intervertebral disc degeneration is an important contributor to chronic low back pain. While a wide spectrum of clinically relevant degenerative disc phenotypes have been observed during aging, their molecular underpinning have not been established. We used microarrays to explore the transcriptomics of differentially expressed genes during aging (6M to 23M) in two strains: C57BL/6 and LG/J.
Project description:It is well documented that low back pain is a common condition and the leading cause of disability globally. A widely recognised contributor to low back pain is intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD), which is the major cause of a series of degenerative disc diseases. Recently, it has been reported that circRNAs are involved in the development of IVDD. However, the mechanisms by which m6A modifies circRNA in nucleus pulposus cells remain poorly understood. Here, we aim to identify differentially expressed m6A circRNAs in degenerative nucleus pulposus cells and figure out how the circRNAs regulate IVDD progression and the m6A methylation functions.
Project description:We selected humann intervertebral disc samples to perform proteomics analysis. There were 1 case of grade I , 1 case of grade II, 3 cases of grade Ⅲ and 3 cases of grade Ⅳ according to Pfirrmann classfication. RNA seqencing analysis and single-cell RNA sequencing were integrated with proteomics data to identify the hub genes for intervertebral disc degeneration using bioinformatic method.
Project description:Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is often the cause of low back pain. Degeneration occurs with age and is accompanied by extracellular matrix (ECM) depletion, culminating in nucleus pulpous (NP) extrusion and IVD destruction. The changes that occur in the disc with age have been under investigation. However, a thorough study of ECM remodelling is needed, to better understand IVD development and age-associated degeneration. As so, iTRAQ LC-MS/MS analysis of foetus, young and old bovine NPs, was used to define the NP matrisome. The enrichment of Collagen XII and XIV in foetus, Fibronectin and Prolargin in elder samples and Collagen XI in young ones was independently validated. This study provides the first matrisome database of healthy discs during development and ageing, which is key to determine the pathways and processes that maintain disc homeostasis. The factors identified may help to explain age-associated IVD degeneration or constitute putative effectors for disc regeneration.