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Published on: December 3, 2016
Apoptosis of growth plate chondrocytes occurs through a mitochondrial pathway
Cristina C Teixeira1, Aida P Padron Costas, Yelena Nemelivsky
1Department of Orthodontics and Department of Basic Sciences, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA. cristina.teixeira@nyu.edu
Objective:
To determine the role of mitochondria in chondrocyte apoptosis induced by inorganic phosphate (Pi).
Materials And Methods:
Chondrocytes isolated from the growth plates of chick embryo tibia were treated with Pi in serum-free media; chondrocyte viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release from mitochondria, caspase 3 activity, endonuclease activity, and DNA fragmentation were investigated.
Results:
Exposure to Pi for 24 hours induced apoptosis in growth plate chondrocytes through a pathway that involved loss of mitochondrial function, release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm, increases in caspase 3 and endonuclease activities, and fragmentation of DNA.
Conclusions:
This study suggests that mitochondria are important players in Pi-induced apoptosis.
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