Expression of type X collagen in young and old C57Bl/6 and Balb/c mice. Relation with articular cartilage degeneration
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Published on: January 7, 2019
P M van der Kraan1, R Stoop, T H Meijers
1Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Nijmegen, Geert Grooteplein 8, Nijmegen, 6525 GA, The Netherlands. P.vanderKraan@reuma.azn.nl
Objective:
To investigate whether the development of osteoarthritic lesions in the knee joints of mice is associated with increased immunostaining of type X collagen.
Methods:
Sections of total knee joints in combination with immunohistochemistry were used to study the distribution of type X collagen in the cartilage of young and old mice of two mouse strains, Balb/c and C57Bl/6, known to develop osteoarthritic lesions at different locations. Expression of type X collagen and PTH/PTHrP-receptor mRNA were studied by RT-PCR.
Results:
Young adult Balb/c and C57Bl/6 mice both expressed type X collagen in the non-calcified cartilage of the tibia-femoral joint. Old mice of both strains had a strongly increased deposition of type X collagen in the patella-femoral but not in the tibia-femoral joint. The locations in the murine knee joints prone to develop osteoarthritis (OA) did not preferentially express increased amounts of type X collagen. Thus, whereas increased type X was observed in both strains in the patella-femoral joints, only Balb/c mice preferentially developed osteoarthritic lesions in these joints. Also cartilage degeneration was usually seen only in the lateral compartment of the knee joints of C57Bl/6 mice but this was not accompanied by increased type X collagen immunostaining. Increased deposition of type X collagen was not associated with elevated levels of type X collagen mRNA or with decreased levels of PTH/PTHrP-receptor mRNA.
Conclusion:
Type X collagen expression and spontaneous OA in mice are not necessarily related since OA prone locations in the murine knee joint do not preferentially express type X collagen.
