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Advanced Molecular Mechanism of Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis

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Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Interests: osteoarthritis; cartilage/chondrocyte research
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying osteoarthritis (OA) progression is accumulating, and deleting a single molecule has been shown to prevent pathogenesis. A senescence-inducible factor in cartilage has been reported; this factor is induced during aging, and its deletion confers resistance in degenerating OA models. In this Special Issue, we present updates on advanced molecular mechanisms of OA pathogenesis, including cell cycle arrest, senescence-promoting molecules, and stem cell senescence.

Dr. Takako Hattori
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • osteoarthritis
  • degeneration of cartilage
  • mechanical loading
  • senescence
  • cell cycle
  • cellular communication network family member 3 (CCN3)

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4838 KB  
Article
Critical Requirement of Senescence-Associated CCN3 Expression in CD44-Positive Stem Cells for Osteoarthritis Progression
by Janvier Habumugisha, Ryuichiro Okuda, Kazuki Hirose, Miho Kuwahara, Ziyi Wang, Mitsuaki Ono, Hiroshi Kamioka, Satoshi Kubota and Takako Hattori
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(19), 9630; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26199630 - 2 Oct 2025
Viewed by 307
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage breakdown, synovial inflammation, and subchondral bone remodeling. Previous studies have shown that cellular communication network factor 3 (CCN3) expression increases with age in cartilage, and its overexpression promotes OA-like changes by inducing [...] Read more.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage breakdown, synovial inflammation, and subchondral bone remodeling. Previous studies have shown that cellular communication network factor 3 (CCN3) expression increases with age in cartilage, and its overexpression promotes OA-like changes by inducing senescence-associated secretory phenotypes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Ccn3 knockout (KO) on OA development using a murine OA model. Destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery was performed in wild-type (WT) and Ccn3-KO mice. Histological scoring and staining were used to assess cartilage degeneration and proteoglycan loss. Gene and protein expressions of catabolic enzyme (Mmp9), hypertrophic chondrocyte marker (Col10a1), senescence marker, and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (Cdkn1a) were evaluated. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from WT and Sox9-deficient cartilage were reanalyzed to identify Ccn3+ progenitor populations. Immunofluorescence staining assessed CD44 and Ki67 expression in articular cartilage. The effects of Ccn3 knockdown on IL-1β-induced Mmp13 and Adamts5 expression in chondrocytes were examined in vitro. Ccn3 KO mice exhibited reduced cartilage degradation and catabolic gene expression compared with WT mice post-DMM. scRNA-seq revealed enriched Ccn3-Cd44 double-positive cells in osteoblast progenitor, synovial mesenchymal stem cell, and mesenchymal stem cell clusters. Immunofluorescence showed increased CCN3+/CD44+ cells in femoral and tibial cartilage and meniscus. Ki67+ cells were significantly increased in DMM-treated Ccn3 KO cartilage, mostly CD44+. In vitro Ccn3 knockdown attenuated IL-1β-induced Mmp13 and Adamts5 expressions in chondrocytes. Ccn3 contributes to OA pathogenesis by promoting matrix degradation, inducing hypertrophic changes, and restricting progenitor cell proliferation, highlighting Ccn3 as a potential therapeutic target for OA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Molecular Mechanism of Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis)
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