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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Laser Capture Microdissection of Mouse Embryonic Cartilage and Bone for Gene Expression Analysis
Published on: December 18, 2019
Transcriptional regulation of the cartilage intermediate layer protein (CILP) gene
Masaki Mori1, Masahiro Nakajima, Yasuo Mikami
1Laboratory for Bone and Joint Diseases, SNP Research Center, The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Cartilage intermediate layer protein (CILP) is an extracellular matrix protein abundant in cartilaginous tissues. CILP is implicated in common musculoskeletal disorders, including osteoarthritis and lumbar disc disease. Regulation of the CILP gene is largely unknown, however. We have found that CILP mRNA expression is induced by TGF-beta1 and dependent upon signaling via TGF-beta receptors. TGF-beta1 induction of CILP is mediated by Smad3, which acts directly through cis-elements in the CILP promoter region. Pathways other than Smad3 also are involved in TGF-beta1 induction of CILP. These observations, together with the finding that CILP protein binds and inhibits TGF-beta1, suggest that CILP and TGF-beta1 may form a functional feedback loop that controls chondrocyte metabolism.
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