Activin A promotes the development of acquired heterotopic ossification and is an effective target for disease attenuation in mice
Christina Mundy, Lutian Yao, Sayantani Sinha, Juliet Chung, Danielle Rux, Sarah E. Catheline, Eiki Koyama, Ling Qin, Maurizio Pacifici
Abstract
), to HO sites. Gain-of-function assays showed that activin A enhanced the chondrogenic differentiation of progenitor cells through SMAD2/3 signaling, and inclusion of activin A in HO-inducing implants enhanced HO development in vivo. Together, our data reveal that activin A is a critical upstream signaling stimulator of acquired HO in mice and could represent an effective therapeutic target against forms of this pathology in patients.
Topics & Concepts
ChondrogenesisActivin type 2 receptorsProgenitor cellCell biologyInflammationBone morphogenetic proteinOssificationHeterotopic ossificationSOX9Transforming growth factor betaBiologyTGF beta signaling pathwayImmunologyTransforming growth factorMesenchymal stem cellStem cellAnatomyGene expressionGeneBiochemistryHeterotopic Ossification and Related ConditionsTGF-β signaling in diseasesGenetic Syndromes and Imprinting