1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Biomolecular Analysis on Decorin associated with Ossification of the Longitudinal Ligament
| Project/Area Number |
06671467
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Research Field |
Orthopaedic surgery
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Kagoshima University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
TAKETOMI Eiji Kagoshima University, University Hospital, Assistant Professor, 医学部付属病院, 講師 (60179653)
|
|---|
| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MATSUNAGA Shunji Kagoshima University, Faculty of Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 講師 (90229500)
SAKOU Takashi Kagoshima University, Faculty of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (10041295)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
1994 – 1995
|
| Keywords | Transforming growth factor-beta / Decorin / Extra cellular matrix / Immunohistochemistry / In situ hybridization / OPLL / Skin |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
In spinal ligaments collected from patients with OPLL and those with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, we examined the expressions of TGF-beta and decorin, but no significant differences were observed. Then, we made the same comparative study in the nuchal skin of OPLL patients in which hardness abnormality had been pointed out since befor. As a result, it was found that the immunostaining for TGF-beta in epidermis of OPLL patinets tended to show somewhat stronger than those of control patients. The staining of decorin in the epidermis of OPLL patients increased significantly. We further examined mRNA of decorin by in situ hybridization. Then, the expression of decorin mRNA was also enhanced in OPLL patients. Considering the hardness abnormality in the skin of OPLL patients, these results strongly suggest an abnormality in extracellular matrix of the skin of OPLL patients. To study the roles of decorin in bone formation, we also examined expression of TGF-beta and decorin immunohistochemically in rat fracture models. At the site of enchondral ossification, localization of TGF-beta and decorin were opposite to each other, suggesting that decorin works as a regulatory factor in some form against TGF-beta in the process of enchondral ossification. The action of decorin on the ossification of ligament has been not clarified yet. However, these results are consistent with an increase in serum fibronectin as previously reported, reflect OPLL patients' predisposition to systemic ossification and substantiate the presence of an abnormality in extracellular matrix. Extracellular matrix plays an important role locally, together with the growth factor, in proliferation and differentiation of the cells. Therefore, it is presumed that the abnormality in extracellular matrix has playd some additional role in the initiation or progression of heterotopic ossification.
|
