Back to Search
Start Over
Out of the Mouth of Minnows
- Source :
- Developmental cell. 35(3)
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- An early event in skeletal joint development is the specification of articular chondrocytes at the joint surface. Articular chondrocytes are distinct in producing lower levels of cartilage matrix and not being replaced by bone, yet how they acquire these properties remains poorly understood. Here, we show that two members of the Iroquois transcriptional repressor family, Irx7 and Irx5a, function to block chondrocyte maturation at the developing hyoid joint of zebrafish. These Irx factors suppress the production of cartilage matrix at the joint in part by preventing the activation of a col2a1a enhancer by Sox9a. Further, both zebrafish Irx7 and mouse IRX1 are able to repress cartilage matrix production in a murine chondrogenic cell line. Iroquois proteins may therefore have a conserved role in keeping chondrocytes in an immature state, with the lower levels of cartilage matrix produced by these immature cells contributing to joint flexibility.
- Subjects :
- musculoskeletal diseases
Cartilage, Articular
Cellular differentiation
Developmental cell
Cell Differentiation
Cell Biology
Anatomy
Biology
biology.organism_classification
Skeleton (computer programming)
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Bone and Bones
Article
Chondrocytes
book.journal
Animals
Molecular Biology
book
Neuroscience
Transcription factor
Zebrafish
Developmental Biology
Transcription Factors
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 18781551
- Volume :
- 35
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Developmental cell
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....63e8f33c2160cc79403c98d011a3923d