Gene expression profiling of the medial meniscus in a minipig model of varus knee

doi:10.12307/2021.212

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Varus-type osteoarthritis is often accompanied by obvious medial meniscus lesions. However, the underlying mechanism of its occurrence is yet unclear.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the molecular mechanism of medial meniscus lesions secondary to varus knees.
METHODS: The anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament of the right rear limbs of seven Wuzhishan minipigs were resected to establish a varus knee model (experimental side), while the left hind legs were subjected to sham operation (control side). Medial meniscus samples were taken for a gene chip analysis at 26 weeks after modeling. An ethic approval was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of Hainan General Hospital with an approval No. Med-Eth-Re[2020]5 on December 5, 2017.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The samples in the two groups showed significant differences in the gene expression. A total of 893 differentially expressed genes were found, in which 537 were upregulated and 356 were downregulated. The significantly affected biological processes included sex determination, interstitial morphogenesis, and regulation of nitric oxide biosynthetic process. The significantly affected cellular components included intrinsic component of membrane, integral component of plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum membrane, and epinuclear membrane-endoplasmic reticulum network. The significantly affected molecular functions included transition metal ion binding and iron ion binding. The significantly affected pathways included type II diabetes mellitus, inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels, and AMPK signaling pathway. These findings suggest significant changes in gene expression of varus knee meniscus, and these differentially expressed genes may reveal the mechanism of medial meniscus lesions secondary to varus knee, providing a potential target for its treatment and early diagnosis.

Key words: varus knee, meniscus, Wuzhishan minipig, gene chip analysis, gene expression profile, differentially expressed gene, molecular mechanism, experimental study

CLC Number:

Fang Yehan, Zhang Jian, Huang Hui, Zhou Gang, Xiong Xiaolong, Lin Jianping . Gene expression profiling of the medial meniscus in a minipig model of varus knee[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2021, 25(32): 5109-5115.

Figures/Tables 7

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