Elucidating the effect of estrogen deficiency on intrasynovial tendon by gene expression analysis in ovariectomized mice models

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K16616
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56020:Orthopedics-related
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: Iwakawa Hiroko 信州大学, 医学部附属病院, 医員 (40770772)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: tendon biology / estrogen / sex hormones / tenosynovitis

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Stenosing tenosynovitis, representing trigger finger and de Quervain disease, is a common condition of the upper extremity in women. The relation between estrogen and stenosing tenosynovitis is often suggested as an essential factor of the disease. However, little is known about its etiology. We performed a next-generation sequence of the total RNA for the deep digital flexor in ovariectomized mice. In RNA-Seq, we completed a comprehensive gene analysis and investigated the biological process of the tendon. We found 30 up-regulated genes and 325 down-regulated genes in the ovariectomized mice group. Enrichment analysis showed identifications of acute-phase response, blood vessel morphogenesis, and organic hydroxyl compound metabolic processes in up-regulated genes. This study offers new insights into changes in tendon metabolism due to fluctuations in sex hormones with a particular focus on estrogen.

Free Research Field

整形外科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

エストロゲンは，妊娠および出産，閉経，女性特有の疾患などにおいて大きく血中濃度が変動し健康状態を左右する重要な性ホルモンであるが，本研究結果から閉経モデルマウスに生ずるエストロゲン欠乏状態が滑膜内腱において様々な遺伝子の発現を変動させることが明らかとなった．さらに発現が変動した遺伝子の中には腱の恒常性や機能の維持に重要な遺伝子が含まれていたことから，エストロゲン欠乏が狭窄性腱鞘炎発症に関与している可能性が示された．