Naohiro Tachibana, Ryota Chijimatsu, Hiroyuki Okada, Takeshi Oichi, Yuki Taniguchi, Yuji Maenohara, Junya Miyahara, Hisatoshi Ishikura, Yasuhide Iwanaga, Yusuke Arino, Kosei Nagata, Hideki Nakamoto, So Kato, Toru Doi, Yoshitaka Matsubayashi, Yasushi Oshima, Asuka Terashima, Yasunori Omata, Fumiko Yano, Shingo Maeda, Shiro Ikegawa, Masahide Seki, Yutaka Suzuki, Sakae Tanaka, Taku Saito
Ectopic endochondral ossification in the tendon/ligament is caused by repetitive mechanical overload or inflammation. Tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) contribute to tissue repair, and some express lubricin [proteoglycan 4 (PRG4)]. However, the mechanisms of ectopic ossification and association of TSPCs are not yet known. Here, we investigated the characteristics of Prg4-positive (+ ) cells and identified that R-spondin 2 (RSPO2), a WNT activator, is specifically expressed in a distinct Prg4+ TSPC cluster...
August 19, 2022: Science Advances