Postnatal expression in hyaline cartilage of constitutively active human collagenase-3 (MMP-13) induces osteoarthritis in mice
Lisa A. Neuhold, … , Philip Babij, Louis J. DeGennaro
Lisa A. Neuhold, … , Philip Babij, Louis J. DeGennaro
Published January 1, 2001
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2001;107(1):35-44. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI10564.
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Article

Postnatal expression in hyaline cartilage of constitutively active human collagenase-3 (MMP-13) induces osteoarthritis in mice

Abstract

It has been suggested that increased collagenase-3 (MMP-13) activity plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). We have used tetracycline-regulated transcription in conjunction with a cartilage-specific promoter to target a constitutively active human MMP-13 to the hyaline cartilages and joints of transgenic mice. Postnatal expression of this transgene resulted in pathological changes in articular cartilage of the mouse joints similar to those observed in human OA. These included characteristic erosion of the articular cartilage associated with loss of proteoglycan and excessive cleavage of type II collagen by collagenase, as well as synovial hyperplasia. These results demonstrate that excessive MMP-13 activity can result in articular cartilage degradation and joint pathology of the kind observed in OA, suggesting that excessive activity of this proteinase can lead to this disease.

Authors

Lisa A. Neuhold, Loran Killar, Weiguang Zhao, Mei-Li A. Sung, Linda Warner, John Kulik, James Turner, William Wu, C. Billinghurst, T. Meijers, A. Robin Poole, Philip Babij, Louis J. DeGennaro

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Figure 4

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Photomicrographs of the articular cartilage of the tibia (right) and fem...
Photomicrographs of the articular cartilage of the tibia (right) and femur (left), taken from 5-month-old mice removed from Dox at weaning (21 days). (a–c) Sagittal sections from a wild-type (a) and a heterozygous (b) line 6 and a coronal section from homozygous line 99 (c) stained with safranin O. (d–f) A serial section from each animal stained with H&E. The arrows in a, b, and c represent areas of safranin O staining, whereas the arrows in e and f point to focal lesions and degradation of the articular cartilage. Scale bar = 100 μm.