Browsing by Subject "Bone morphogenetic protein"

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    The bone matrix protein secreted phosphoprotein 24 kD (Spp24): bone metabolism regulator and starting material for biotherapeutic materials
    (F. Hernández y Juan F. Madrid. Universidad de Murcia: Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2015) Murray, Samuel S.; Wang, Jeffrey C.; Duarte, Maria Eugenia Leite; Zhao, Ke-Wei; Tian, Haijun; Francis, Timothy; Brochmann Murray, Elsa J.
    Secreted phosphoprotein 24 kD (Spp24) is a bone matrix protein that appears to be derived primarily from the liver and delivered to other tissues in a protective complex. A significant role in bone growth and turnover is suggested by genetic studies that associate the gene locus (SPP2) with bone mineral density and bone quality. The function of this protein in the normal bone environment is unknown but clues are given by the fact that Spp24, or proteolytic products of Spp24, bind cytokines of the TGF-β superfamily and also activate intracellular signaling pathways. Several potential biotherapeutics have been engineered from this protein including materials that enhance BMP-induced bone healing and, on the other hand, materials that inhibit BMPs in clinical situations where this is called for such as reducing BMP-induced inflammation and inhibiting tumors dependent on BMP autocrine systems. As understanding of the structure and function of this protein increases, more opportunities for rationally developed therapeutics will become apparent.
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    The history and histology of bone morphogenetic protein
    (2016) Murray, Samuel S.; Brochmann Murray, Elsa J. B; Wang, Jeffrey C.; Leite Duarte, Maria Eugenia
    Bone morphogenetic proteins are a group of structurally related proteins within the TGF-β superfamily of proteins with a diverse repertoire of functions in embryonic and adult organisms. As is apparent from the name, the members first characterized participate in bone growth, development, and remodeling. The “morphogenic” activity per se is defined as the induction of a recapitulation of endochondral bone formation by appropriate stem cells. The regenerative capacity of bone has been recognized since ancient times. The mechanism, applications, and conceptual basis of bone transplantation, bone implantation, ectopic bone formation, and exogenously induced bone formation have been studied by many investigators for more than a century. This review examines the efforts to characterize this activity in the European and American literature over approximately the last century. Because of the inherently complex nature of the process induced by these molecules (inflammation, stem cell proliferation, cartilage differentiation, replacement of cartilage with bone) it is important to evaluate previous investigations through a histological perspective. The cellular basis of the contemporary bioassay for BMP activity is illustrated and discussed from the histological point of view.
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    The hypertrophic chondrocyte: To be or not to be
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2021) Hallett, Shawn A.; Ono, Wanida; Ono, Noriaki
    Hypertrophic chondrocytes are the master regulators of endochondral ossification; however, their ultimate cell fates cells remain largely elusive due to their transient nature. Historically, hypertrophic chondrocytes have been considered as the terminal state of growth plate chondrocytes, which are destined to meet their inevitable demise at the primary spongiosa. Chondrocyte hypertrophy is accompanied by increased organelle synthesis and rapid intracellular water uptake, which serve as the major drivers of longitudinal bone growth. This process is delicately regulated by major signaling pathways and their target genes, including growth hormone (GH), insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), indian hedgehog (Ihh), parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), sex determining region Y-box 9 (Sox9), runt-related transcription factors (Runx) and fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs). Hypertrophic chondrocytes orchestrate endochondral ossification by regulating osteogenic-angiogenic and osteogenic-osteoclastic coupling through the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and matrix metallopeptidases-9/13 (MMP-9/13). Hypertrophic chondrocytes also indirectly regulate resorption of the cartilaginous extracellular matrix, by controlling formation of a special subtype of osteoclasts termed "chondroclasts". Notably, hypertrophic chondrocytes may possess innate potential for plasticity, reentering the cell cycle and differentiating into osteoblasts and other types of mesenchymal cells in the marrow space. We may be able to harness this unique plasticity for therapeutic purposes, for a variety of skeletal abnormalities and injuries. In this review, we discuss the morphological and molecular properties of hypertrophic chondrocytes, which carry out important functions during skeletal growth and regeneration.